3 reasons half of all Americans don't take vacation (employees, job, companies)

[Suburban_Guy]

I think for most the reason would be closely related to number two, where there is fear of taking any extended time off due to being perceived as a slacker or someone not dedicated. Probably even some indirect pressure from boss about not taking time off.

This is what our employment culture has come down to. Those taking vacation are viewed with contempt, while those not are viewed as solid and hard working, dedicated team players.

To hell with that. I take long multi week vacations every year, end of year when things slow down at work. I don't take any time off during the year though as I like to save up for one long one.

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/3...151532904.html

It's good to remember that more time on the job doesn't necessarily translate to better performance at the job.

"Without taking time to recharge, employees can find themselves stressed, overworked and sick — all of which have a direct impact on their work performance," says Sarah Berger, personal finance expert and "The Cashlorette" at Bankrate.com.

[Hemlock140]

Here people are encouraged to take their vacations, in fact my boss recently commented that I should take 2-3 weeks off to really unwind rather than my usual week here, week there. After 7+ years I earn 6 weeks vacation time/year, and usually take all but about 2 weeks. If we accumulate over 12 weeks they pay us for the excess, but I like to have extra in case I do want to take a long trip. No one is considered a slacker for taking vacations, excess sick time, especially in a pattern such as 2-3 Mondays a month is another story.

[Vision67]

I worked for a large international electronics company as an engineer in product development.

I never could take more than about 1 week off at a time because we had to keep the project on schedule. Nobody else could do my job. They hired just enough people to get things done. If I took more than a week off, it would be almost impossible to catch up when I returned.

I was always jealous of my team mates in Germany. There, they shut everything down for the month of August. Everybody took time off. Nobody got behind schedule because the project was halted.

The Germans are good at figuring these things out.

[charlygal]

Whatever. I'll have 5 wks vacay in 2017 plus a few additional personal days. I'll take every last one. People need to work for the companies that have the policies that work for them.

[Book Lover 21]

I'm off tomorrow until January 3rd. Life's too short to not take vacation.


I also get five weeks starting next year since I now have 25 years with the company. You can bet your bottom dollar I'm taking every single day. I've earned it.


I know it's not frowned upon at my company because management takes all their time too. I'd hate to think anyone is made to feel guilty for taking something they have earned.

[DTWflyer]

I get 6 weeks/30 days, but losing 4 days this year. I would rather have used them all but they did come back and give us a few extra holidays late in the year that weren't inititally scheduled. Plus there may have been a few days I cut out early (but I consider that more comp time for the stupid long-days/nights/weekend work I've put in at times throughout the year).

My management always makes some sarcastic comments when I take PTO, since there is a huge workaholic culture here (at least of people over the age of 40). Part of it is that since I don't have school-aged children, my PTO isn't tied to school break and holiday schedules like everyone else it seems. All the executives/directors that dictate the hectic culture all seem to have school aged children and its predictable when they take their breaks. I on the other hand would rather take a week off in Late Jan, or early-May, or late October.

[annabanana123]

I get 7 wks a year and take most of it. I work my butt off when I'm here and don't think about it when I'm not. I have worked other places that didn't agree with that mentality and where I didn't take a vacation for years despite working 80-100hr wks. But life's too short of that and I no longer care what people think. My team and I all take a couple weeks off a couple times a year and cover for each other during it and I have also learned how to say no and cut myself off at 45/50 hours on a bad week.

[Girl]

At my company, vacation time is encouraged. In fact, in my old department, it was an unspoken "rule" that everyone was encouraged to take PTO on their birthday or the Friday or Monday if it fell on the weekend. It was very rare for people to work on their birthdays and just kind of accepted as par for the course. When someone DID work their birthday, they were teased about being a workaholic.

I've never been given a side-eye for taking PTO, whether it's a full week off or random days throughout the year. Back in October I took two weeks off and it was GLORIOUS.

[CosmoStars]

Whats the point of having Vacation Time if management does not allow you to take it?

[The Dissenter]

My problem is that since I'm the only one who actively processes cases in two systems in my department, whenever I'm out I am going to come back to a crapload of cases since no one else is assigned the tickets. That makes me very hesitant to take vacation for more then a couple of days. Thankfully my work has slowed down enough I took the next two days off to go to shows.