75% of employees feel guilty over taking time off

If you're working this week, you may be spending your days fantasizing about the beach vacations or ski trips your coworkers are taking. Yet those same colleagues might be having a hard time winding down. 

According to CalendarLabs, 75% of employees say they feel guilty about taking time off, and 66% will put in more work time before leaving to make up for their time away. Additionally, 69% will check in with work or respond to notifications during PTO. 

Yet prioritizing time off is beneficial for employees: In the U.S., the happiest employees take 15 days off per year, with December being the most popular time for a break. Yet 38% of employees won't use all their PTO, and of that group, more than half will not be able to roll over their time. 

"Taking PTO is crucial for employee health and productivity, as it helps in reducing burnout," says Hannah Workman, part of the creative team for CalendarLabs. "To ensure employees don't feel guilty for taking PTO, employers can distribute work among team members and foster a company culture that normalizes and encourages taking time off for mental health." 

Read more: Lyra mental health trends and predictions for 2024

PTO is highly prioritized by employees, whether they use it or not. The survey found that 87% of employees would prefer more days off over a $10k raise. Meanwhile, 65% of employees thought they should be compensated for taking over additional work from their colleagues. 

Amid increasing instances of burnout, it's crucial employees take time to relax and reset. Managers can play a supportive role in this process by making sure employees have a manageable workload to begin with, and helping offload any tasks to other members of the team, if necessary. Thirty-five percent of managers are comfortable having tasks postponed until the employee returns to work, the survey found. 

Fifty-five percent of managers have also said they've "dismantled the stigma" around taking PTO for mental health, by frequently checking in with employees and encouraging time off, and incorporating mental health days into their yearly calendar.

Read more: Half of employees have lied about the reason for their mental health day 

Creating a supportive culture makes it OK for employees to take time off, and put work to the side, Workman says. The benefit of restorative PTO means more productive and focused employees on their return.  

"To truly 'turn off' during PTO, employees should unplug from work communications and engage in relaxing activities," Workman says. "Support a culture that promotes true disconnection during time off."