More Than Half Of Working Americans Do Not Use All Vacation Days, Survey Finds
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A new survey finds more than half of Americans said they do not plan to take all the vacation time they have coming to them this year.
A survey by Bankrate said 52 percent of workers surveyed said they are going to be leaving some vacation time on-the-table going into 2017. Younger millennials, ages 18 to 25, are even more opposed to taking vacation time, with 59 percent saying they will not use all their company-provided time. WBBM's Bernie Tafoya reports.
"This 'workaholic' approach is deeply embedded in our country's culture, but working more hours and sacrificing vacation days does not make you a better employee or help you climb the ladder any faster," said Sarah Berger, personal finance expert and "The Cashlorette" at Bankrate.com, in a statement. "Without taking time to recharge, employees can find themselves stressed, overworked and sick - all of which have a direct impact on their work performance."
Many companies offer a rollover option for unused vacation time, which is the top reason why people are not taking it. Other common reasons for not using vacation time, according to the survey, are too much work, enjoy working, cannot afford to go anywhere and afraid your job will be at risk if you take too much time off.
Barry Crawford, though, will not be among them. He said, "Yeah, that's no risk at my house, we take it all."
Same goes for Carol Hendricks, who said not taking all your vacation can leave you stressed.
Cynthia Beard said she loves her job, but takes every day of vacation time she has coming "because you need to rest, to relax."
Some people have little choice, however, and because of finances take little or no vacation. Caregiver Perla Liquigan said that, "Much as I want to take a vacation but, I cannot."
According to Bankrate, if given the choice between money or additional paid time-off, money wins. A majority of working Americans would prefer a cash bonus, equal to 1 week of pay instead of an additional week of vacation a year.
