Workers couldn’t afford vacations: So here’s how many days they’ll lose
January 3, 2012 by Christian SchappelPosted in: In this week's e-newsletter - benefits, Latest News & Views, Money, Pay and benefits
Many employees returned to work this week a little lighter on vacation days – not because they used them, but because they were lost when the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve.
Just how many vacation days did workers let expire at the end of 2011? The answer depends on who you ask:
- An Expedia study found that the average worker would lose 2 vacation days at the end of the year
- Hotwire found that the typical U.S. employee would lose 6.2 days
- JetBlue found that 57% of Americans would leave an average of 11 vacation days
unused, and - CNNMoney estimated 226 million vacation days would go unused — $34 billion worth of time.
The most recurring reason given as to why employees let their vacation
days expire: They couldn’t afford to take a vacation.
Other reasons given:
- Job insecurity (thinking they may lose their jobs if they took vacations)
- A lack of planning, and
- Having too much work to take time off.
Tags: expedia, hotwire, jetblue, study, vacation days
HRMorning.com delivers the latest HR news once a week to the inboxes of over 200,000 HR professionals.
follow us on Twitter
join our group on Facebook
January 5th, 2012 at 11:27 am
“CNNMoney estimated 226 vacation days would go unused — $34 billion worth of time.”
Is this over a lifetime? This makes no sense.
January 5th, 2012 at 4:39 pm
The estimated vacation days were stated as 226 MILLION vacation days would be lost. This makes more sense when you read the statement.
January 5th, 2012 at 5:26 pm
Yeah, looks like a pretty wide “margin of error” according to these sources !
A self-reported “range” of 2 to 11 days, depending on who you ask ! And are all those days “lost” (forfeit) or just not taken that year?? The Jetblue report does not say “lost”.
I have a real concern with that kind of data, and then the massive rollup number at the end is just there to add dramatic effect.
And for reasons: my experience is that the most common reason is failure to plan, so then you search for a company based problem, like workload or “fear” of leaving.
January 5th, 2012 at 6:14 pm
Not in CA, in CA vacation never goes away illegal to have a use it or lose it policy.
Common – 226 million days for $34 billion or about $150 a day or $18.75 hr
January 6th, 2012 at 8:10 am
@ Common Sense- It says “226 million vacation days.” Unless they made the correction after you posted this.
“The most recurring reason given as to why employees let their vacation
days expire: They couldn’t afford to take a vacation.” To allow one’s vacation days expire due to this one reason is just plain stupid. You don’t have to take a vacation to use vacation days. They can be used to just sit at home, relax and do nothing. To be honest, it saddens me to think that people will not use a benefit that took so much effort and sacrifice from workers who years ago did not enjoy this benefit and would have loved to have it but fought to get it. Now it has become the norm to have at least some number of vacation days and they are not being used. Crazy.
“Job insecurity (thinking they may lose their jobs if they took vacations)”
If one feels that their company is pathetic enough to fire them because the employee used some vacation days, the company is probably not worth working for anyway. People take your vacation days- you’ve earned them!
January 6th, 2012 at 8:41 am
Unused vacation days = days working for free.
Never give your employer free work. Take every minute of your paid time off.
Or give it to me, and I’ll take off work. I don’t mind “stay”cations.
January 6th, 2012 at 10:41 am
Our apologies, Common Sense. The story should’ve read “226 million vacation days.” The correction was made. Thanks for pointing out our oversight.
January 10th, 2012 at 2:54 pm
I agree with MMAN. I have been on my present job for 23 years although; we do have use or loose but , I can tell you right now I may never get in that category . I earn it I use it.