According to a recent LiveCareer survey of more than 1,000 U.S. workers, nearly six out of 10 feel uneasy about taking paid time off, despite having accrued PTO.

The dominant reason behind this anxiety is an unhealthy work culture in which many workers feel pressure not to use all their PTO and some even find out their employer actively discourages taking time off.

In addition to these pressures, employees cite concerns such as the risk of coming back to unmanageable workloads, potentially missing out on important opportunities, or being seen as less committed to their jobs.

A substantial portion of workers report that even though their employer officially supports vacation, everyday workloads are so demanding that being absent seems unrealistic. Furthermore, the example set by managers and leaders influences employees' willingness to take time off; a notable percentage are less likely to use their PTO if management rarely does so themselves.

There is a disconnect between the amount of time off available and what is used. Nearly half of respondents have paid time off of two weeks or more, but the vast majority plan vacations of a week or less, often curtailed by job insecurity and workplace dynamics.

To feel more confident about taking time off, employees express a need for not only more PTO and better financial stability but also more reliable backup or coverage for their duties, dedicated mental health days, and more supportive leadership.

Source: https://www.hrdive.com/news/us-workers-feel-uneasy-taking-time-off/753406/

So, the question for our readers is: Do Employees Fear Taking PTO?

Here is the opinion of one of the McCalmon editorial staff:

Jack McCalmon, Esq.

I know of people who worked for organizations that paid employees not to take time off for vacation and/or sick leave in the form of a bonus at the end of the year. So, yes, there are organizations that do offer, but curtail PTO. However, I think that is occurring less often now than in the past. Most research clearly demonstrates that employees need PTO to rejuvenate, and employers need employees to take PTO for retention.
 

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