Even with holiday purchasing and travel
preparation underway, many American workers aren't using all of
their vacation time. A whopping 37% anticipate they won't use all of
their time off this year, and 24% had not taken any time off this
year, as of Nov. 7, according to a new survey
(http://www.hudson-index.com/documents/us-hudson-index-data-111506.xls)
from Hudson, a staffing and talent management firm.
Not only are employees throwing away their vacation days, they're
less likely to distance themselves from the workplace during
vacation. A resounding 72% of employees communicate with the office
to some extent when they are supposed to be relaxing. About 39% of
workers communicate with the office on most days during vacation,
and 20% connect to the office everyday. It's no surprise that 38% of
employees return from vacation no more relaxed than when they left,
and perhaps even more stressed.
"Modern technology makes staying connected to work while on
vacation easier than ever and blurs the line between work and
personal time," says Peg Buchenroth, vice president of HR at Hudson
North America.
As the holiday season begins and the end of the year approaches,
employers may want to offer added flexibility because their
employees aren't taking the suggested time off. About 37% of workers
say they have greater flexibility at work during the holiday season,
and 35% say their office is more casual during the holidays.
Unfortunately, 50% of workers say their company does not offer extra
flexibility around the holidays, and 37% admit they are less
productive during the holiday season.
"If workers are not allowing themselves to decompress while on
vacation, the holidays may be a good opportunity for employers to
help their staff unwind, as long as the work is still getting done,"
Buchenroth notes.