Why Americans Skip Vacation Time

According to a recent article on ABC News , a new survey has revealed that not all Americans are using all of the vacation time they’ve been offered. American businesses are notorious for offering some of the least number of vacation days in the world, but according to the article: “Looks like Americans have no room to complain about the amount of vacation time they get. A new survey conducted by Harris Interactive for Glassdoor shows the average American worker doesn’t use nearly all of her vacation days.” Both articles go on to claim that Americans simply don’t have a culture of using vacation days.

But once again this may be hiding other potential reasons that vacation time may not be used, including: Demanding Employers/No Backup – Employers are also cutting corners. In the past, there would be more employees that can take over for the employee on vacation while they were gone. Now, workers are both more specialized and more tapped, with few others that can do their work.

If they go on vacation, the company struggles, and the worker may choose to avoid vacation simply because they do not want to come back and find piles of work that they now need to complete. No Money – Similarly, vacations are expensive. They cost money.

Many workers may be holding onto their vacation because they are hoping to someday have money that they can use for a better, more elaborate vacation that their current salary cannot afford. Days become weeks, weeks become years, and suddenly their vacation has gone unused. Technology – Most people’s smartphones are hooked directly up to their work emails.

Very few have the opportunity to take a true vacation because they are bombarded with calls and emails from their employer. As soon as one vacation doesn’t feel like a vacation, it’s easy to see where an employee may find that the joy has been taken from their vacation plans. These are just a few reasons that vacations may not be fully used.

It’s not necessarily that Americans would rather work. There are plenty of other reasons that Americans may not be taking their vacation time. And since research into the value of a good work/home life balance proves that it’s important to take these vacations, finding out why your employees may not take vacations and finding a way to encourage them may be in your best interests.