U.S. employees leave an average of six vacation days unused each year. Now leaders are trying to find out why so many desks often left unoccupied in summer months were full this past year.
A study by a company called Breathe HR said “holiday hoarding” may be to blame, as there’s a growing tendency for workers to hold onto their paid time off (PTO) rather than use it.
New data from Breathe shows that around half of U.K. workers didn’t take their full PTO last year, and U.S. figures from Pew paint a similar picture. And the trend is worsening: At Breathe HR, they found that 1 in 4 workers plan to take less vacation time this year than last year.
There are a plethora of reasons why workers are choosing to forgo PTO, but it can be partly attributed to the tough job market on both sides of the pond. It’s fueling a wave of job insecurity that’s prompting many employees to worry that stepping away from work — even briefly — will be perceived as a lack of commitment.
According to the Breathe poll, 1 in 5 workers admit they’re worried about redundancy and the tough job market, so they hold back from taking their full PTO in case it negatively impacts how managers view them.
The causes of holiday hoarding also stretch into the cultural and structural fabric of organizations, as a fifth of workers say that their employer doesn’t encourage them to use their PTO. A third say their workload prevents them from taking a vacation, and Pew reports nearly half feel guilty knowing their colleagues may have to pick up the slack in their absence.
When workloads are unsustainable, and rest is seen as an indulgence rather than a necessity, staff won’t feel able to take the time off that they have earned.
