Protecting PTO: Empower Employees to Rest and Rejuvenate

Summer vacation season is almost over. Did your employees take any time off work? If they didn’t, they’re not alone.

Recent studies found 46% of American workers routinely don’t take all their paid time off (PTO), while 23% didn’t take a single vacation day in the past year. It’s not that they didn’t have enough PTO — they’re just hesitant to leave the daily grind long enough to sufficiently unplug and unwind.

Rather than taking PTO in week-long blocks, employees also are increasingly taking just a day or two at a time (often a Friday and/or Monday) to extend the weekend. Granted, many workers still take traditional vacations, traveling to breathtaking or lively destinations with family or friends. But all too often, they find it difficult, if not impossible, to fully disengage from work. As a result, so-called “workcations” are growing in prevalence, with 39% of employees in a recent survey admitting they sometimes work while on vacation and 15% saying they do so frequently.

Difficulty Disconnecting

Why do so many workers, particularly in the U.S., feel they can’t leave work behind and fully disconnect for a few days?

For some, it’s a belief they will be perceived as less committed to the job and will be passed over for advancement opportunities. They may experience absence anxiety or “fear of switching off,” which leads them to obsessively check email or continue working while on PTO.

Others may feel guilty about burdening colleagues with extra work or believe that no one else can handle their responsibilities. Alarmingly, a PTO Culture Crisis Report by career website LiveCareer found 33% of employees felt pressure not to use all their PTO, while 9% said their employer actively discouraged taking time off.

Leading the Way

The role of leaders and people managers — including those in the HR department — can’t be overstated when it comes to making PTO feel less like a workplace disruption and more like a normal, protected part of a healthy work culture. They should be encouraging employees to take time off to rest, rejuvenate and relax — without fear of repercussions.

The LiveCareer report found 1 in 5 workers are less likely to take time off if the person they report to doesn’t take a vacation. It’s crucial, therefore, for leaders and managers to set an example by taking PTO themselves — and not continuing to work while they are away.

For example, when I go on vacation, I not only schedule an away message, I make it very descriptive so my colleagues will know this time is important to me: “I am going on vacation with my three sons. We haven’t spent time together in about three months, so I’m looking forward to having that dedicated time with them. When I get back, I will address your messages. You can expect to hear back from me in a couple of weeks.”

Proper planning also is key to helping employees feel comfortable disconnecting for a few days and to keep everything running smoothly in their absence. Ideally, teammates should be able to absorb the duties of their vacationing colleague into their own. If their workload is already too heavy or they don’t possess the skills or knowledge to handle the tasks, managers should adjust deadlines, when possible, and be gracious upon the employee’s return, giving them time to catch up, since the fear of returning to a mountain of work is another reason why many people may hesitate to take PTO in the first place.

A healthy PTO culture is one where time away is normalized, planned for and respected. Those in leadership roles set the tone by making it clear that dedication isn’t measured by constant availability and that recovery is part of sustainable performance. By doing so, they ensure that employees can unplug while they are away and return without immediately feeling overwhelmed by everything that happened while they were off.

Editor’s Note: Additional Content

For more information and resources related to this article, see the pages below, which offer quick access to all WorldatWork content on these topics:

• Employee Benefits
• Employee Experience
• Well-Being