Many Americans do not have guaranteed paid time off from work, and even when they do, they often leave days unused.
According to a recent Harris Poll survey of 1,170 American workers, 78% of U.S. workers admit to not utilizing all their allocated PTO days, with this trend more prominent among Gen Z and millennial employees.
Younger professionals refrain from requesting time off due to pressure to meet deadlines and demonstrate productivity.
Libby Rodney, the Chief Strategy Officer at The Harris Poll, notes that they avoid asking for PTO to avoid appearing unproductive.
While they do take breaks, younger workers may not inform their supervisors.
Millennials, in particular, have found ways to take time off without notifying their managers, with nearly 40% admitting to doing so.
A significant number of employees admit to simulating activity on company messaging platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams by moving their mouse to appear active while not actually working.
They also schedule messages to be sent outside regular hours to give the impression of working overtime.
Libby Rodney highlights a prevalent culture of finding workarounds. While Gen Z individuals are more outspoken about workplace practices that discourage time off, millennials prefer discreetly managing their work-life balance.
Rodney notes that millennials are adept at achieving a suitable work-life balance behind the scenes, saying, “It’s not exactly quiet quitting, but more like quiet vacationing.”
The need for employees to sneak breaks suggests a lack of supportive PTO policies or workplace culture, according to Rodney.
To address this issue, bosses can enhance the situation by being transparent about time-off requests, normalizing PTO by taking time off themselves, supporting their employees’ leave, and implementing mandatory time-off policies.
While unlimited PTO may not be the ultimate answer, Libby Rodney suggests that employees with 11 to 15 days of PTO are more inclined to use all their days.
However, there is a noticeable decline in PTO usage once workers have 16 or more days available.
Employers can explore innovative approaches to PTO benefits.
This could include implementing company-wide week-long closures during major holidays, incentivizing new hires to take a vacation before starting their roles, or mandating a specific number of PTO days per quarter to encourage balanced time off throughout the year.
On a broader scale, findings from the Harris Poll survey indicate that many Americans believe the U.S. should consider adopting European-style regulations that establish boundaries between work hours and personal time.
These regulations could include extended vacation periods (such as a month off in August), longer lunch breaks, shorter workweeks, and rules that protect employees’ right to respond at a slower pace outside of regular working hours.
