When You Forfeit Vacation Time, You Are Working For Free

Say it with me: Vacation increases productivity, motivation, and workplace satisfaction.

According to the US Travel Association, Americans let 768 million vacation days go unused in 2018 and 236 million days were completely forfeited. That’s the equivalent of $65.5 billion in lost wages across the U.S. Remember this is paid time off so when you forfeit vacation, you are volunteering extra work to your employer (a.k.a. working for free!).

Beyond simply being a poor use of the benefits provided by your company, this habit can actually damage the trajectory of your career by reducing the quality of your work and increasing chances you will burn out.

Let’s turn to the experts:

1. Working during leisure time creates conflict between our professional and personal goals, leading to decreased motivation and enjoyment. (Laura Giurge and Kaitlin Woolley, Harvard Business Review, July 2020)
2. Research shows intrinsic motivation for work is essential for doing our best work – no matter what our external motivation may be (salary, benefits, etc.). Experts suggest, “If you want to succeed at work, find a work task or a work environment that you enjoy.” (Kaitlin Woolley and Ayelet Fishbach, Harvard Business Review, April 2017)
3. People who take time off to travel are more likely to get a raise, bonus, or promotion than those who do not travel. Taking a PTO day to run errands or attend appointments can be nice, but it doesn’t benefit you in the same way as actually disconnecting or getting away. (U.S. Travel Association, The State of American Vacation 2018)
4. Disengaging from work helps prevent burnout and makes us more resilient, productive, and engaged when we work. (Dr. Sabine Sonnentag, University of Mannheim)

When you forfeit paid time off, you volunteer extra (free!) work to your employer.

Passing up on vacation time is not only leaving money on the table (your PTO is factored into what you are paid as an employee), it can be detrimental to your overall health and productivity. It took me a long time to learn this. I spent most of my first five working years taking only a few vacation days at a time. This approach kept me from truly disconnecting from work – I’d simply spend the days leading up to and following my vacation working extra hours to make up for the days I missed. It wasn’t until I took two full weeks off and had to purposefully transfer all of my work to my colleagues that I discovered the benefits of true disconnection.

When I returned to the office after my vacation, I discovered three important things:

1. The work went on without me (I wasn’t the only capable person at my company, duh!).
2. In my absence, my colleagues were able to take on more responsibility and shine, which meant they had more experience to help carry the load when I returned.
3. The mental exercise of crossing items off my to do list before I left and starting fresh upon my return energized me and created new excitement for my job that I hadn’t experienced since my first day at the office.

Workplace satisfaction, productivity, motivation, and vacation are all connected and all essential to our success. So please, for the sake of your career, your livelihood, and your happiness, go for the long weekend at the cabin. Pick a new city and plan an exciting getaway. Visit your grandma. Work will always be there when you get back. I promise.