Aside from the lucky few who truly love their jobs, most people would prefer to be spending time away from work when possible. It’s somewhat counterintuitive, therefore, that Americans spend so much time at work, even when they have PTO available.
Employees Leaving PTO on the Table
“People were already working long hours before the pandemic, but Covid-19 further extended workdays,” Says Aishwarya Jagani in an article for BBC Worklife. “It’s taking a toll. According to recent data, nearly three-fifths of employees reported experiencing negative impacts of work-related stress in 2021. Yet despite their elevated stress levels, more than 50% of American workers end up leaving paid vacation days unused.”
Those who have found themselves in this situation already have a pretty good idea of why Americans don’t always take all of their available PTO: they want to demonstrate their hard work and commitment to the organization; and/or they simply feel like they have too much work to do to step away for a few days.
Taking Time Off Beats Burnout
That isn’t necessarily a boon for employers either. Sure, they might be getting the benefit of having staff working when they could be taking time off, but the value of that work declines as employees become more stressed and burnt out. Even worse, those stressed and burnt out employees could end up leaving the company for a job they think will be less stressful.
“To counteract this trend, some companies are experimenting with mandatory vacation policies, under which workers are required to take a minimum amount of time off every quarter, half-year or year,” says Jagani. “These policies can even include financial incentives that reward staff for taking full holiday allocations.”
Such a simple-sounding solution could have unanticipated consequences. For example, what happens if an employee has critical work to complete at the end of the applicable period but hasn’t taken the required amount of time off? Some employees may also resent being forced to take time off that they may not want to use.
Companies considering such a novel approach to employee time off should carefully consider the implications and associated policies and support mechanisms.
Lin Grensing-Pophal is a Contributing Editor at HR Daily Advisor.