More than half (59 per cent) of U.S. workers say they feel some form of anxiety when it comes to taking time off, according to a new survey by LiveCareer.
The survey, which polled more than 1,000 U.S. workers, found a third (33 per cent) said they feel pressure not to use all their paid time off and nine per cent said their employer actively discourages time off. A fifth (20 per cent) said they’re less likely to take time off if their manager doesn’t take vacation.
Read: Canadian employees working 13.6 additional hours to prepare for, catch up from vacation: survey
Half (49 per cent) said while their company supports taking vacation, workloads make taking time off unrealistic. A fifth of workers expressed concerns about work piling up while they’re gone (19 per cent) and missing opportunities (19 per cent). One in 10 said they worry about being seen as less committed (12 per cent) or laid off or replaced (eight per cent) if they take vacation.
Employees said they’d feel more confident taking time off if they had better financial stability (51 per cent), coverage for their work (25 per cent) and supportive leadership (18 per cent).
While 45 per cent of employees said they receive more than two weeks of paid time off per year, a third (33 per cent) said they plan on taking just one week off this summer, followed by a break of four to six days (31 per cent), more than one week (21 per cent) and a weekend getaway (16 per cent).
Read: Employees hesitant to take time off turning to ‘quiet vacationing’: expert