Reasons People Don’t Use All Their PTO and 5 Tips for Taking It
2024.08.19
Survey Asks Why People Don't Use All Their PTO
46% of workers whose benefits include paid time off, don’t use all of it according to a Pew Research Center survey.1
And managers are significantly more likely than nonmanagers to take less time off than offered (54% versus 42%).
While the survey didn’t ask about how many paid days are forgone by the average respondent and whether the unused days were vacation or sick time (which would have been interesting!), it did probe the reasons people give.
Note – While these statistics don’t apply to folks with unlimited PTO, we might reasonably infer that they’d express similar reasons for not taking more of it.
Reasons People Don’t Take All of Their PTO
They worry they might fall behind at work.
It’s hard to take time off, knowing that you’ve got more work to do to get ready to take the time off, and then more work to do when you get back. 49% of survey respondents don’t take more time off because worry they might fall behind at work.1 The volume of emails, chat threads, and other messages can be a deterrent alone! When you are a manager/leader, the work piles even higher and it’s hard knowing that people are waiting on you in order to proceed. And since taking a sick day is done last-minute, the additional logistics of rescheduling meetings and pushing deadlines makes many people choose work.
They feel bad about coworkers taking on additional work
When you like your coworkers, and know they are already working hard, it feels crappy to know that they’ve got to pick up slack while you are out. 43% of survey respondents gave this as the reason they don’t take more time off.1 Women are even more likely to feel this way than men (48% versus 39%).1 And when looking at those age 18 to 49, the numbers jump even higher between women and men (53% versus 43%).1 When you are a manager/leader, the work may fall to your overworked team or to your maxed-out colleagues. Springing extra work on a colleague when you take a sick day isn’t fun.
They fear it could jeopardize advancement or job security
19% think taking more time off might hurt their chances for advancement and 16% think they might lose their job.1 Ouch. But remember, depending on the organization/division/department culture and their situation within it, this may be true, or it may be all in their head. Sometimes taking time off is weaponized against individuals – which is an unfair reality to be sure. But often, it’s our unhealthy relationship to work, “earning” rest, or some similar underlying belief that is the source of the fear. ##Their manager/supervisor discourages it
Yikes! 12% report that they are actively discouraged from taking time off.1 Very uncool.
They don’t think they need it
52% of people said the reason they don’t take more time off is because they don’t need to.1 If we take that at face value, THAT’S AMAZING. Buuuuuuut, Burnout Proof Leaders conjectures that a non-trivial proportion of them actually could use some additional downtime and disconnection from work. We routinely encounter folks who don’t realize how depleted they are because they’ve become conditioned to view it as their “normal” operating state.
Additional Reasons
In addition to the reasons assessed by the survey, we’ve observed that high-performing leaders often have a hard time admitting that they need a day off. They like the fact that they can push hard for extended periods of time, run on empty longer than others can, while still achieving at a high level.
Relatedly, many leaders don’t like the uncomfortable feelings they get when they do take time off. Feelings like being out of the loop, holding up progress, and losing a day of productivity.
(If you resist taking a day off because it’s hard to admit you need one or because you don’t like the uncomfortable feelings that accompany one, you might like Making Peace with Taking a Day off.)
5 Tips for Taking All Your Available Time Off
1. Sick Day Drawdown Strategy
Let’s draw a line between sick time and vacation time, at least mentally. In reality, many employers offer general PTO, not making a distinction between the two. So, it would make perfect sense that you might reserve some days for sick time and then get to the end of the year not having used them. If that describes you, then as the year winds down and you see your unused days, start taking a random day off here and there. Or take an impromptu “wellness” day where you do activities that enhance the fact that you are feeling healthy. If your employer grants sick time separately, and it rolls over indefinitely, it’s okay to save it up if you truly don’t need to use it.
2. Ownership Mindset
Your employer counts every one of your PTO days as part of your total compensation. By not using every day allowed, you are choosing to forgo a portion of your compensation. It would be ludicrous for someone to tell their employer, “I’m feeling good about my finances right now so you can go ahead and pay me less this month”. Yet not using all of your PTO is basically the same thing. Your PTO is yours, so own it.
3. Personal Productivity System
If falling behind on work is your obstacle, it’s time to revisit your personal systems for managing your work portfolio. David Allen’s Getting Things Done book is a gamechanger for many people. Grab a copy at your local library ASAP. Zen to Done by Leo Babauta is an alternative for the conscious folks and is available online. (neither are affiliate links)
4. Reciprocity Mindset
When a coworker takes time off and we step up to help them out, we typically feel good about it, even though it means technically doing more work. So, it’s weird that we feel bad about asking the same of them. (There’s probably some deep baggage there to unpack!). Try shifting your mindset to one of enjoyable reciprocity. In the same way that you get a warm glow from helping out your colleague, give them the chance to feel that same way.
5. Be Proactive
You already know that you are more productive, creative, innovative, and all-around a better leader when you are well-rested. So be proactive and take time off before you “need” it. Take an impromptu afternoon mid-week just because.
What Leaders Can Do to Help Their Staff
Here are 3 things leaders can do to encourage their staff to take days off.
Model to your staff what it looks like to be a leader who values well-being. Be vocal about taking your own days off.
In your next all-hands meeting or email, share the 5 tips from this article as well as your own strategy for using your PTO. It’s okay if you aren’t great at taking time off but want to do better – ask your team to hold you accountable.
Proactively ensure that timelines are set with spaciousness, to allow for people to take time off with less logistical hassle.
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