Most North American workers did not use all of their available vacation time this year, according to a survey by consulting firm Right Management. The firm surveyed 814 workers; 70% of respondents said they did not take all of their vacation time in 2011. The findings are consistent with Right Management’s 2009 survey, which found that two-thirds of employees did not take all vacation time due them.
“The perceived workplace culture that prevails at many organizations seems to recognize devotion to the job to the exclusion of almost all else,” says Michael Haid, senior vice-president with Right Management. “Whether this culture is real or imagined, employees everywhere are forsaking vacations, and even family time, for the primacy of work. If there’s no balance in people’s lives, there will soon be resentment and health problems.”
Meanwhile, a recent survey by Mercer placed Canada in the bottom spot for the number of annual employee holiday entitlements. The survey of 62 countries measured the number of annual holidays full-time workers have access to after 10 years of employment (note that since holiday entitlement may vary depending on company contracts, the survey measured the potential for holiday time off). In Canada, employees have up to 10 days of statutory holidays and nine public holidays per year—well below generous European countries such as the U.K. and Poland, where they have up to 28 days and 26 days, respectively.
“A break from the daily routine is essential in maintaining employee well-being,” says Wolfgang Seidl, head of Mercer’s healthcare consulting business in the U.K. “Companies that keep holiday provision as low as possible in order to reduce lost income from absent workers may find that their employees are less robust, in poorer health and, crucially, less productive. It’s key to create a culture of health in the workplace, [so] employees will take the message home with them and look after their health outside work as well.”