Summer is approaching, and with it, the opportunity for workers to take time off using their PTO. However, according to travel fare aggregation platform Expedia’s annual study, most travelers still feel vacation-deprived, despite the rise of remote work. Expedia surveyed over 14,500 people globally and found that vacation deprivation overall is at a 10-year high, with financial challenges and busy schedules cited as impediments to taking adequate time off. US respondents reported feeling particularly vacation-deprived, with 63% of them saying they feel that way.
Although some employees mix business and leisure travel, this is not enough to make up for the lack of true vacations, which research has shown to be beneficial to employees. HR Brew reported that companies are starting to plan “workations” where employees can work in more exciting locales while also experiencing other cultures and collaborating with colleagues they might not see regularly.
While workers with “unlimited” time off used to take less vacation under more lenient policies, HR software company Namely’s study found that this is changing. Workers with unlimited PTO now take slightly more time off than those on traditional plans. Therefore, companies may want to consider reviewing their PTO policies to give employees the time off they need to recharge. In fact, nearly three-quarters (72%) of Americans said they would like their company to improve their time-off policies, according to Expedia.
