Many American workers feel guilty about taking vacation they've earned
July 11 (UPI) -- "My dedication was questioned."
"Managers or upper management have looked down upon taking time off."
"People think that maybe you're not as invested in the job, that you're shirking your duties or something."
These are just a few of the responses to questions I asked during a study I conducted on vacation guilt among American workers.
More than 88% of full-time, private sector workers in the United States receive paid time off. This benefit is ostensibly in place to improve employee morale and well-being.
Yet, a 2024 Pew Research Center survey found that nearly half of American workers don't take all the vacation days they've been allotted. And many of them feel as if they're discouraged from using their time off.
Ironically, what's supposed to be a source of relaxation and restoration morphs into a stressor: As vacations approach, feelings of doubt and guilt creep in.
I'm from Singapore. Upon moving to the United States in 2016, I was surprised at how pervasive vacation guilt appeared to be.
Compared with many of the other countries where I've lived or worked, American culture seems to prioritize mental health and wellness. I assumed these attitudes extended to the American workplace.
Surprisingly, though, I noticed that many of my American friends felt guilty about taking time off that they'd earned. So as a scholar of tourism and hospitality, I wanted to understand how and why this happened.
Vacation guilt
To carry out the study, I collaborated with tourism scholar Robert Li. We interviewed 15 workers who had experienced feelings of guilt over taking time off. We also administered an online survey to 860 full-time employees who received paid time off from their employers.
We wanted to know whether employees felt less respected or believed that their bosses and colleagues saw them in a worse light for taking time off. Maybe they feared being seen as slackers or, worse, replaceable.
We found that 1 in 5 respondents to our survey experienced vacation guilt, and these concerns made them think twice about following through with their vacation plans.
For those who eventually did take a vacation, they often tried to ease their guilt by going for fewer days. They might also apologize for taking a vacation or avoid talking about their vacation plans at work.
Some of the people we interviewed had pushed through their hesitation and taken their vacation as planned. Yet, all of these employees believed that they'd been penalized for taking time off and that it led to poor performance reviews, despite the fact that their paid vacation days had been a clearly articulated, earned benefit.
The United States is an outlier
The United States is the only advanced economy that doesn't legally mandate a minimum number of vacation days. On top of that, only a handful of states require workers to be compensated for their unused vacation days.
Meanwhile, the law in other advanced economies entitles employees to a minimum amount of annual paid leave.
The EU, for example, mandates at least 20 days per year on top of paid public holidays, such as Christmas and New Year's Day, with a number of EU member countries requiring more than 20 days of paid vacation for full-time employees.
Even in Japan, which is notorious for its workaholic culture, employees are entitled to a minimum of 10 days of paid leave every year.
Throughout much of the United States, whether paid vacation time is offered at all depends on an employer's generosity, while many employees face a "use-it-or-lose-it" situation, meaning unused vacation days don't roll over from one year to the next.
Of course, not all workers experience vacation guilt. Nonetheless, the guilt that so many workers do feel may be symbolic of broader issues: an unhealthy workplace culture, a toxic boss or a weak social safety net.
For paid time off to serve its purpose, I think employers need to provide more than vacation days. They also need to have a supportive culture that readily encourages employees to use this benefit without having to worry about repercussions.
Karen Tan is an assistant professor of tourism and hospitality management at Middle Tennessee State University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The opinions in this commentary are solely those of the author.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
12 hours ago
- New York Post
Americans can't stop making this common travel mistake in Europe
A trio of traveling Americans were just looking to tuck into dinner — but their entrees came with an supersized side portion of European enmity. The table trouble began when TikTokker @black_sherlock made the apparently egregious error of showing up at a restaurant in pretty Porto, Portugal for a 6 p.m. supper — earning the hungry Yanks unlimited refills of scorn. After wondering why they were the only people at the lovely spot, locals and other self-appointed experts were quick to pile on. Advertisement In the comment section of a post that has so far received more than 1.2 million hits, many viewers insisted that only tourists eat at that hour, with everyone else waiting until much later in the evening. Later dining is a fixture in many southern European countries like Italy, Spain and Greece. Advertisement 'Italy here. The only place where dinner is served at 6:00 pm is the hospital,' commented one user. 'I'm surprised you could even find a restaurant open at that time,' a commenter joked, while another ribbed: 'They probably thought you were having a late lunch.' 'At least nobody has to deal with their obnoxiously loud conversations,' one continental meanie mocked — referencing the American affection for mindless chattiness in public spaces while abroad. In the past few years, pretty Porto has become a popular tourist destination for foreign visitors. Mapics – Advertisement Northern European dinner hours typically align somewhat closer with the North American average, as noted by several replies. 'You just missed all the Finns,' one joker joshed. The dumped-on diner quickly realized his mistake — with his group doing their best to enjoy the solitude. They were interrupted only much later on by a family with a baby, who arrived just as he had signed the bill. Advertisement Despite the sea of exasperated Europeans in the comments, a few fellow countrymen came to the man's defense. 'I'll never understand why Europe eats so late. I don't want to eat just a few hours before I go to bed,' declared one stubborn American. As overtourism in Europe worsens, locals are becoming increasingly frustrated with oblivious vacationers. dvoevnore – This TikTokker's viral mishap is just the latest in a long string of American embarrassments overseas, arousing the apparently easily-irked Europeans. As The Post previously reported, one woman was slammed over her efforts to mirror the regional dining style, which sees the fork stay in the same non-dominant hand throughout the meal. Americans are known for passing their cutlery between their hands before and after cutting food, in what's also known as the zig-zag style. Before long, she was slammed with critics calling her and other Americans 'primitive.' One user even said that watching the whole affair was 'worse than nails down a chalkboard.' Advertisement Another common American faux pas that Europeans often gripe over is our alleged insistence on inordinately oversized luggage. The steep hills, cobblestoned streets, and plenty of stairs that tend to make up many European cities can suitcase schlepping painful for locals and tourists alike — and create a racket that disturbs residents.
Travel Weekly
13 hours ago
- Travel Weekly
United and American add Mexico City routes
United and American have each announced new Mexico City routes for next winter. United will fly daily from Denver to Mexico's capital from Oct. 26 through March 27. The flight will compete with daily year-round service by Aeromexico and Mexican discounter Volaris. American, meanwhile, will connect Chicago O'Hare with Mexico City from Oct. 26 through March 28. The carrier will join a crowded market, which already includes service by United, Aeromexico, Volaris and Viva Aerobus. United has also announced a second daily Latin America route from Denver that will commence on Oct. 26. The service, between the Mile High City and Punta Cana, will be the westernmost route to the Dominican Republic, United said. United will fly Denver-Punta Cana year-round. Service will be daily until mid-August, then switch to Saturdays only until late October.
UPI
17 hours ago
- UPI
Many American workers feel guilty about taking vacation they've earned
Ironically, what's supposed to be a source of relaxation and restoration morphs into a stressor: As vacations approach, feelings of doubt and guilt creep in. Photo by Pexels July 11 (UPI) -- "My dedication was questioned." "Managers or upper management have looked down upon taking time off." "People think that maybe you're not as invested in the job, that you're shirking your duties or something." These are just a few of the responses to questions I asked during a study I conducted on vacation guilt among American workers. More than 88% of full-time, private sector workers in the United States receive paid time off. This benefit is ostensibly in place to improve employee morale and well-being. Yet, a 2024 Pew Research Center survey found that nearly half of American workers don't take all the vacation days they've been allotted. And many of them feel as if they're discouraged from using their time off. Ironically, what's supposed to be a source of relaxation and restoration morphs into a stressor: As vacations approach, feelings of doubt and guilt creep in. I'm from Singapore. Upon moving to the United States in 2016, I was surprised at how pervasive vacation guilt appeared to be. Compared with many of the other countries where I've lived or worked, American culture seems to prioritize mental health and wellness. I assumed these attitudes extended to the American workplace. Surprisingly, though, I noticed that many of my American friends felt guilty about taking time off that they'd earned. So as a scholar of tourism and hospitality, I wanted to understand how and why this happened. Vacation guilt To carry out the study, I collaborated with tourism scholar Robert Li. We interviewed 15 workers who had experienced feelings of guilt over taking time off. We also administered an online survey to 860 full-time employees who received paid time off from their employers. We wanted to know whether employees felt less respected or believed that their bosses and colleagues saw them in a worse light for taking time off. Maybe they feared being seen as slackers or, worse, replaceable. We found that 1 in 5 respondents to our survey experienced vacation guilt, and these concerns made them think twice about following through with their vacation plans. For those who eventually did take a vacation, they often tried to ease their guilt by going for fewer days. They might also apologize for taking a vacation or avoid talking about their vacation plans at work. Some of the people we interviewed had pushed through their hesitation and taken their vacation as planned. Yet, all of these employees believed that they'd been penalized for taking time off and that it led to poor performance reviews, despite the fact that their paid vacation days had been a clearly articulated, earned benefit. The United States is an outlier The United States is the only advanced economy that doesn't legally mandate a minimum number of vacation days. On top of that, only a handful of states require workers to be compensated for their unused vacation days. Meanwhile, the law in other advanced economies entitles employees to a minimum amount of annual paid leave. The EU, for example, mandates at least 20 days per year on top of paid public holidays, such as Christmas and New Year's Day, with a number of EU member countries requiring more than 20 days of paid vacation for full-time employees. Even in Japan, which is notorious for its workaholic culture, employees are entitled to a minimum of 10 days of paid leave every year. Throughout much of the United States, whether paid vacation time is offered at all depends on an employer's generosity, while many employees face a "use-it-or-lose-it" situation, meaning unused vacation days don't roll over from one year to the next. Of course, not all workers experience vacation guilt. Nonetheless, the guilt that so many workers do feel may be symbolic of broader issues: an unhealthy workplace culture, a toxic boss or a weak social safety net. For paid time off to serve its purpose, I think employers need to provide more than vacation days. They also need to have a supportive culture that readily encourages employees to use this benefit without having to worry about repercussions. Karen Tan is an assistant professor of tourism and hospitality management at Middle Tennessee State University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The opinions in this commentary are solely those of the author.
