What happened to summer? Do you realize that next weekend is Labor Day? Aside from most people enjoying a three-day weekend, Labor Day is bittersweet because it marks the unofficial end to summer.
So. Have you taken vacation?
Americans still leave millions of dollars of unclaimed vacation benefits on the table. According to Project Time Off’s State of the American Vacation, 52% of Americans had unused vacation at the end of 2017. This translates to 212 million days of forfeited vacation, or $62.2 billion in lost benefits.
Workplace challenges are reported to be the biggest reasons why people don’t take vacation. Here are the top three:
+ Fear of looking replaceable – 61%
+ Too heavy a workload – 56%
+ Not enough coverage at work – 56%
And, if this wasn’t enough to absorb, a new trend that’s emerging is the “workcation”, which is going away and intending to work a full schedule.
The good news is that for those who are anxious about taking conventional vacation time, the shortened week vacation is picking up in popularity. With that in mind (and since we really do have another month of summer), why not eliminate some of your accumulated vacation days by taking a short trip some time in the next 4 weeks?
As leaders in your organizations, it’s important to understand how these trends translate to your workplace. If people fear taking vacation, for example, you need to examine what’s going on in your culture and see what you can do to improve it. And while you’re doing that, encourage your staff to take a little time off!