I was compelled to write a letter to the editor of an airline magazine to express how much I enjoyed reading an article about the underutilization of American workers' paid time off (PTO). The article immediately caught my eye because I was returning home from what turned out to be a real vacation; I had ignored all work I had brought with me. The author reported results of a survey conducted by Oxford Economics for the U.S. Travel Association.1 PTO included paid vacation and personal days but not paid sick days or holidays. Key findings were:
* Americans are taking less vacation time than at any point in the last nearly four decades. In 2013, employees entitled to PTO took an average of 16 days of vacation compared with an average of 20 days as recently as 2000.
* Among employees with PTO, nearly 5 days went unused in 2013. Of those 5 days, 1.6 days will be permanently lost, totaling 169 million days across the workforce.
* By choosing to work instead of taking PTO, employees are essentially working for their employers for free. The 169 million days of forfeited PTO equates to $52.4 billion in lost benefits.
* Employees who forfeit PTO do not receive raises or bonuses at a faster rate than those who take all of their vacation time. However, employees leaving days on the table report higher levels of stress at work.
Worker reluctance to take PTO
These data did not motivate me to retrospectively estimate the number of days and dollars I had given back over the years. Respondents reported the primary reason for not taking time off was stress from work: high demands from employers, perception that being physically present portrayed loyalty that would ensure job security, and the dread of facing a pile of work upon return. Likewise, the culture of many work places did not encourage workers to take time off. In a second report, American workers identified reasons why they thought vacation time was important; the top three were "helps me relax and recharge, makes me a happier person, and gives me the opportunity to engage in activities that I enjoy."2 Yet while on vacation, many of us will still perform work-related tasks, such as checking and replying to e-mails or calling the office. So why are we so reluctant to take time off?
Balancing work and PTO
Of all industrialized countries in the world, the United States is the only nation that does not have a national policy mandating PTO for workers. This nonexistent regulation gave us the distinction in 2007 of the "No-Vacation Nation".3 The standard "use it or lose it" rule seems to work effectively; people will more likely take all their annual PTO if they know that no days can be rolled over to the next year. But is this a healthy work environment? On the other extreme, a few select companies are taking an innovative approach to PTO by implementing policies of unlimited number of workdays off with pay. Advantages and disadvantages must be considered, but the concept promotes treating employees as adults who have the capacity to make decisions about how they spend their time that will balance work and personal commitments.
As the traditional times for vacation approach, commit to using your PTO. "In matters of healing the body or the mind, vacation is a true genius!"-Mehmet Murat ildan
Jamesetta Newland, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, FAANP, DPNAP
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF [email protected]
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