Adventure is a State of Mind
DON’T LOSE YOUR VACATION TIME!
Yes, I just yelled that in all caps. But that’s how important I think this issue is.
A Personal Rant
Some of you – the ones who make the most of every minute of their paid leave – may be wondering what I’m all worked up about. But, it’s actually a big problem, especially here in the U.S. Many people, especially Americans, are letting their vacation time go to waste. In October 2024, The Washington Post reported on a survey that found that 62 percent of Americans do not use all of their paid leave.
62 percent! That’s almost two-thirds of all Americans! And that number is rising – it was 57 percent in 2022.
And, even more concerning, the same survey found that 5.5 percent of Americans didn’t use ANY of their leave last year! Gah! That’s NOT healthy!
It Belongs to You
Deep breath… okay, okay. I’m calm now. But this really is a problem. Let’s start at the personal level. Your vacation time, paid leave, PTO, whatever you want to call it, is part of your benefits package. Along with your salary, it’s what your employer has agreed to pay you in return for the work you do for them.
If you don’t take advantage of your paid leave, it’s like handing part of your salary back to your employer to put into their bank account. I’m pretty sure you’re not doing that with your paycheck, so why would you want to do it with your leave?
Keep in mind, you can save up your money, but you can’t do the same with your time. The time you have in your life now is a non-renewable resource, and when it’s gone, it’s gone.
Many people complain that they don’t have enough time to do things they enjoy, whether that’s spending time with family and friends, on a hobby, or traveling. But the unused vacation time is time that could have been invested in the activities they love.
Taking Time Off is Good For Your Physical Health
It’s also healthy to take time off from your job. Research has found that not taking vacations is associated with a higher risk for heart attacks. The health benefits to your heart seem to start even before you go on vacation – just the anticipation of taking a vacation resulted in improved health markers!
Additionally, for many, their lifestyle is healthier while on vacation. If your daily work routine involves sitting at a desk all day, but you enjoy walking on the beach while on vacation, you’re experiencing significant added health benefits while you’re away from work.
Taking Time Off is Good For Your Mental Health
It’s fairly obvious that taking some time away from work is helpful when you’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed out. The time away from your job creates space for you to think about other things. This can be an opportunity to think creatively about your life and decide on healthy changes you might want to make.
Often when we’re going about our daily lives, it’s difficult to “see the forest for the trees.” We’re so busy trying to meet work demands and check things off the to-do lists that we can’t see our lives clearly. Stepping away from work, even for a few days, can create enough space for us to identify what is important to us. It’s much easier to make changes to align your priorities when you can see them clearly.
There is also a relationship between mood and time off. One study found that women who took vacations only once every two years were 92 percent more likely to have depression than those who took vacations twice or more per year. It sounds like those vacations do a world of good for those who take them!
Taking Time Off Reduces Burnout
According to the Harvard Business Review, the most effective way to reduce burnout is to take time away from your job. They discussed how sabbaticals (an extended period of time away from your job), both paid and unpaid, helped individuals to feel more positive and motivated about their jobs when they returned.
There is other research that found declines in perceived burnout immediately following a vacation, although the benefits dissipated after approximately a month. (Perhaps an indication that we should all plan monthly vacations to stay happy at our jobs?)
Benefits to the Employer
Most employers prefer employees who are productive and happy, or at minimum content, with their jobs. They also prefer not to have high employee turnover due to burnout. So, for these reasons alone, it is to the employer’s benefit to have their employees make use of their leave time.
The benefits to the employer go even further, however – individuals who use more vacation days have better performance reviews, suggesting they’re performing better at their jobs. Having employees who use their leave time sounds like a win-win situation for them and their bosses.
Why Isn’t Everyone Maxing Out Their Leave?
So, with all of the benefits to be had by taking time off from work, why isn’t everyone taking full advantage of the time they have available? Especially Americans, who tend to have less paid time off than employees in other developed countries.
Individuals who don’t take advantage of their vacation time will frequently give lots of excuses, such as being too busy or indispensable to their jobs to be out of the office. Or sometimes they report feeling guilty their coworkers will have to cover for them.
The real reason, however, is probably fear. Fear about what will happen if they are seen by their bosses and coworkers as not being fully committed and working as hard as their coworkers who aren’t taking full advantage of the paid time off.
We Americans live in a culture based on a strong, Protestant work ethic that equates hard work with godliness. Taking time off to do something we enjoy but isn’t productive? Well, I’m pretty sure my dour-faced ancestors would have frowned on that behavior. And the humble brags of coworkers complaining about working late and on the weekends gives off a similar vibe.
Our current economic and socio-political climate also probably doesn’t help some individuals to feel comfortable about their job security. Worrying that taking a vacation will be seen as a negative during the next performance review does not encourage maximizing available leave time.
The biggest temptation is to settle for too little.
Thomas Merton
Addressing the Fear
If you were paying attention, however, you already know that most, if not all, of those fears are not based on reality. The data shows that taking time away from work benefits not only the employee but the employer.
Interestingly, employers seem to realize this. Taking a vacation can actually increase the likelihood of getting a raise!
Maybe it’s because the time away rejuvenates the employee and they return to work more rested, motivated, and creative. Or maybe it’s that the time they were away from their job gave their supervisors a new appreciation for how much they were doing. Whatever the reason, it’s clear that the fears many have about taking time away from work aren’t realistic fears.
Finances
A final reason for not using all of their available leave for some is they don’t like to travel or they don’t feel they have the resources to travel.
Obviously, I’m biased toward using as much of your time off to travel as possible, but I know not everyone enjoys travel. Even if you’re a homebody, consider a staycation. There must be activities you’d enjoy spending more time on, whether it’s hanging out with your family or binge-watching your favorite Netflix series.
And if you love traveling but can’t afford a travel adventure for as long as you have leave available, remember not all travel adventures require a plane ticket or expensive hotel accommodations. Take the time away from work to explore closer to home.
Take the Opportunity to Play
An old proverb says, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Think of your paid leave as an opportunity to play and live life to the fullest, whether or not you spend that time on a travel adventure. It’s time that belongs to you. And when it comes to our time, it’s definitely use it or lose it!
Do you consistently use all of your paid leave? If not, why? What can you change to make sure you take full advantage of all of the benefits you’ve earned through your job, including your time off?
Author
