Dive Brief:
- Remote workers are less likely than their non-remote counterparts to take vacation time, according to Gusto’s Aug. 30 analysis of data from its platform. Overall, remote workers took 5.5% less vacation time in the past year, or about five hours less than non-remote workers.
- Researchers found remote workers were 22% less likely to take any vacation time at all in the past year; they generally take less time off when they do take vacation, Gusto added.
- While remote workers may face less burnout, Gusto posited, remote workers may feel “less entitled to taking vacation time compared to in-person workers because they don’t have to be physically present in an office,” or may even feel worried about the perception when they do take vacation.
Dive Insight:
Employers have struggled to get workers to take proper time off since before COVID-19, with the pandemic only highlighting the burnout created by a lack of time to disconnect fully from work.
Almost half of workers surveyed by Eagle Hill Consulting were suffering from burnout, according to an April report, but over one-third said they hadn’t taken a vacation in 12 months. And for a third of workers who did not take a fully unplugged vacation, the biggest issue was a self-imposed pressure to stay on top of the job.
Data from benefits provider Sorbet highlighted the way remote workers may feel afraid to take time off because of the flexibility inherent to their day-to-day lives.
Companies that have a supportive, flexible culture tend to have more success with remote work programs, however; that includes empowering employees to pursue their own goals and interests, a Georgia Institute of Technology study showed.
