Vacation Time Is Going To Waste
It's vacation time! OK, I shouldn't be that excited. I'm not going to be naked on a beach...or even on a beach for that matter. I'm going to be sitting at home. Doing nothing. But, I felt like I had to "take time off" before the year ended.
In 2020 I had 15 days of vacation. This is the average for Americans. As of writing this story, I used 4 of those 15 days. With 13 work days left in the year, I figured I should probably use some of those days.
Research over the last couple years shows I'm not alone in not using all my vacation, and indicators point to 2020 being worse. In 2018, Americans left 768 million days of vacation on the table. That is 55% of Americans not using all their vacation time.
There are many countries around the world that actually require you to take time off. France, Austria, Spain, Germany, Canada, Japan and more. All of them require workers to take between 39-19 total days off per year. The United States...0.0. Maybe if it was mandated to take the time off I actually would. But let's be honest, even if I was told I have to take time off and went to a beach, that damn phone would still be on keeping me connected.
For me, the reason I don't take all my vacation and it's not a big deal is simple. I never take time off. While I'll be "gone" this week from the radio and the office, I'll still be working. The email is always going. Social media never stops. Somebody will call or text me with an issue.
I'm not alone in this as the survey reported 70% of those that will take vacation, will still check in with work in some way while out of the office.
2020 will inflate these stats even more. People didn't have anywhere to go, and with businesses cutting back expenses and employees, it can make somebody nervous to not be at work. Our HR team actually sent emails this summer telling us to take vacation. That was nice of them as they knew we were all just working away during the pandemic. But they also know in radio we are never away from work. Plus, we as Americans are doing more at our jobs than we ever have. With those aforementioned cuts across nearly every business sector, somebody has to pick up the work for the person that is no longer in your building.
With all that, I will still take this week off. I hope you either took, or get to take, all of your vacation time this year. Since I'm not going anywhere I'm sure you'll be able to chat with me on our social media anytime. So I guess I will be doing something this week while on vacation at home. I'll be working. Oh well, at least I can do it with no pants on and a drink in my hand.