Even though most employees (82%) are provided with paid time off as a workplace benefit, the new FlexJobs Work & PTO Pressure Report found that nearly a quarter (23%) of U.S. employees didn’t take a single vacation day over the past year. Many employees cited reasons for not taking paid time off due to heavy workloads (43%), manager expectations (19%) and unsupportive company cultures (29%).
According to the survey, nearly half (42%) of employees took just 1 to 10 days off, while 25% said their manager would discourage them from taking a full week away.
“Most employees have some form of paid time off, but there’s a big difference between a company that offers this benefit and one that actually encourages workers to use it,” said Toni Frana, a career expert at FlexJobs. “Without a company culture that supports rest, many workers feel they can’t really step away without risking their professional reputation.”
The report found that although most employees feel trusted to manage their time, that trust often disappears when it comes to taking time off. According to the survey, 82% of workers said they are either “somewhat” (33%) or “completely” (49%) trusted by their company to handle their responsibilities.
However, when asked how their team would likely respond if they took a full week off and completely unplugged from work, 52% of employees said their manager would respond neutrally, 25% said their manager would be discouraging and only 24% said they’d respond “encouragingly.”
According to the report, these findings highlight a key disconnect between what companies say about trust and how employees actually experience it when trying to take meaningful time away from work. True support for rest and recovery comes from company culture – how leadership models balance, how teams respond when someone takes time away, and whether employees feel encouraged to disconnect without guilt, the report says.
“When people can completely unplug and disconnect from their job, they return to work more focused, productive and engaged,” said Frana. “Encouraging workers to take time off isn’t just important in supporting employee wellbeing, but it is also critical to talent retention and performance.”
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