Even with encouragement to use PTO, some employees may still feel the need to keep working without taking time off.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many workers to make sacrifices for the benefit of their job. Despite these sacrifices, many have not been encouraged to take the time needed to care for their own well-being.
It's no surprise the situation has unfolded this way — it's merely a symptom of the American stigma that taking time off from work constitutes laziness. Forty-eight percent of American workers feel ashamed for using vacation time and an average of 6.5 vacation days per American worker went unused last year.
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If this stigma surrounding PTO continues, it will ultimately cost employers employee satisfaction and headcount from burnout and a perceived lack of care. It's in companies' best interest to hold on to essential employees that drive vital revenue during this challenging time period.
PTO encouragement starts with proactive leadership
Although many employers need all the effort they can get from employees to keep business afloat during this time, organizations stand to benefit from their workers taking PTO. Employees who use PTO report increased energy and motivation. Workers who take vacations also see a positive impact on physical well-being and stress levels.
With a few adjustments, you can create a culture that encourages employees to use their vacation time throughout the pandemic and over the long term. Here's how:
1. Tell workers to take PTO.
It may sound simple, but many employers don't effectively communicate PTO encouragement to their employees.
With the unpredictability of the COVID-19 economy, many workers may be averse to taking time off out of fear of losing their jobs. This belief also prevails in workplace culture — 19% of Americans say they avoid taking PTO because they might be seen as less committed to their job.
To quell these fears, be clear and direct in your messaging on PTO, and spread that message transparently and often. Also, consider which tactics may work best to encourage PTO to your workforce. For some employers, email messages from your C-suite may work, while one-on-one conversations or posting to an online workplace community may work better for others.
2. Put the message into practice.
To further strengthen your encouragement of taking PTO, make use of your own time off as well.
For many workers, seeing is believing when it comes to using vacation days. We've seen this principle in the workplace through the power of transference, as employees often follow the actions of their management, whether they're positive or negative. Because of this power of transference, you must set the precedent for taking time off from the top down with leadership.
Also, pay attention to your own actions when you're on PTO. For instance, be mindful of checking on your work while you're off. You may find benefits to tracking work while out of the office, but your action may tell other employees to do the same during their PTO and cause them unwarranted stress.
3. Make organizational policies easily accessible.
In addition to an increased focus on communication, easy access to vacation and COVID-19 policies is critical to building a PTO-friendly culture.
Information on relevant time-off policies should never be difficult to locate. To eliminate confusion, distribute a step-by-step guide on how employees can access and use their PTO and sick days. Additionally, create resources that break down the finer details of your vacation policies and government aid programs such as CARES and FFCRA (if applicable).
A centralized online platform is an effective way to disseminate this information as most digital workplace platforms allow organizations to pin relevant announcements within the application. A single online platform enables employees to access your policies no matter their location. The platform is also a visible place for policies to live because they won't get lost in email inboxes or in the files of a company drive.
4. Track vacation days used.
While PTO usage data may appear as a basic data set on the surface, it offers advantages to both the employee and employer.
Even with encouragement to use PTO, some employees may still feel the need to keep working without taking time off. Prioritize tracking employee PTO usage to gauge individual workers' well-being. Some employees may just need an extra nudge to use PTO after seeing how much time they haven't taken off. Active monitoring also better prepares your organization for potential workforce reductions that occur when employees take vacation or sick time.
If you manually track your PTO usage data, consider leveraging an online workplace platform to save time. Many platforms offer tools that monitor vacation days and sick time with automation technology, allowing for quick and easy access to real-time data.
It shouldn't have taken a pandemic to emphasize the importance of employee well-being. But now it's time for businesses to prioritize PTO for their employees' health and happiness. Not only do essential workers deserve time off, but the positive effects they see from taking PTO will benefit your business over the long term. With the right blend of employee communication, a centralized workplace platform and time-off tracking, you can eliminate the pervasive stigma tied to PTO.
Cheryl Johnson isCHRO at © 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
