As the holiday season nears and 2024 comes to a close, nearly half (48 percent) of U.S. workers do not expect to take all of their allotted vacation days by the end of the calendar year. The vast majority of workers (85 percent) say it would be beneficial for their employer to mandate workers take a minimum amount of vacation days annually, reveals a recent survey of U.S. employees. More than a third (37 percent) say they would like an unlimited time off vacation policy, according to the 2024 Eagle Hill Consulting Worker Vacation Survey.
These findings come as employee burnout remains high across the U.S. workforce, with 45 percent of the U.S. workforce reporting burnout. Younger workers report the highest levels of burnout, with Gen Z at 54 percent and Millennials at 52 percent. Women (49 percent) continue to report higher levels of burnout than men (41 percent).
“We’re seeing a bit of mixed messages among workers. On the one hand, Eagle Hill’s research finds more than one-third of workers say they want unlimited vacation, but half of workers already aren’t using their allotted vacation time,” said Melissa Jezior, president and chief executive officer of Eagle Hill Consulting. “It’s also intriguing that employees favor mandates of vacation time. Perhaps what we are seeing is employees feel they cannot take time off either for workload or workplace culture reasons, and they want to be compelled to take time away from work.”
The survey also finds:
- More than one-third of Americans, (36 percent) have not taken a vacation in the past 12 months.
- When asked what type of employer paid time off policy they would want, 37 percent of employees say they want unlimited vacation, 31 percent say they want a designated number of paid days off, 27 percent want a designated number of sick and vacation days, while four percent prefer no paid time off.
“Establishing a culture that fosters taking time away to recharge can be highly beneficial to employers in terms of lowering burnout level, improving employee engagement, and fostering employee wellness.”
— Melissa Jezior, President / CEO, Eagle Hill Consulting
- When it comes to the current structure of paid time off benefits, 43 percent say they have a designated number of paid days off, 32 percent have designated number of sick and vacation days, 10 percent of workers say they have unlimited time off, and 14 percent have no paid time off.
- Impediments to taking vacation include the expense of taking vacation (44 percent), self-imposed pressures (28 percent), heavy workload (24 percent), no paid time off (24 percent), no colleagues available to cover work (21 percent), pressure from managers (14 percent), and organizational culture (12 percent).
- More than half of workers (58 percent) say they totally disconnected on their last vacation, about one quarter (24 percent) say they checked email/messages while on vacation, and five percent continued to work.
“The holiday season is right around the corner, which can be stressful for employees especially as nearly half the workforce reports burnout,” Jezior explained. “One approach leaders can look at is proactively encouraging employees to take time off and setting an example by taking time away from work themselves. Of course, taking time off in the coming weeks isn’t possible in some jobs like retail and public safety, but employers can encourage breaks before or after the holidays or offer flexible work schedules. Establishing a culture that fosters taking time away to recharge can be highly beneficial to employers in terms of lowering burnout level, improving employee engagement, and fostering employee wellness.”
