The truth about vacation time

How do you use your vacation time? Do you use it to travel or spend time at home relaxing? Or are you still in work mode even after you punch out? Glassdoor just released its first quarter Employment Confidence Survey, which included some very interesting findings on how employees use their time off.The survey found that of those American employees who receive vacation time, only 51 percent have used their vacation over the past year. In addition, some workers use their time to work and, in some cases, search for another job.Take a look at how employees are spending their vacation time.

Who gets vacation?

According to Glassdoor’s survey, 78 percent of full-time and part-time employees report getting vacation or paid time off. Meanwhile, roughly 1 in 5 (22 percent) reported getting no vacation.Of those employees who get vacation time, 15 percent reported taking no time at all over the past year. The remaining 85 percent have taken at least some time off. Only 25 percent had used all of their available vacation time.

Taking time to job search

Of those employees who took vacations over the past year, one in 10 reported using their vacation time to look for a new job.Employees ages 18 to 34 years old were more likely to do this than any other group. One in five employees in this group admits interviewing for another job while on vacation.

Working on vacation

The report also found that those employees who took a vacation were not necessarily using it to relax. Glassdoor’s report found 61 percent of employees who took a vacation did some amount of work. More significantly, employees with a household income of $100,000 or more were more likely (71 percent) to report this than those with lower household incomes.

Why they work

So why would anyone work during their time off? Employees who worked during their time off had a myriad of reasons for doing so, the report found. Those employees who worked while on vacation reported doing so because:• No one else at their company is able to do their work (33 percent)• They feared getting behind (28 percent)• They are completely dedicated to their company (22 percent)• They feel like they can’t be disconnected (19 percent)• They want a promotion (18 percent)• They fear not meeting work goals (17 percent)• They fear losing their job (17 percent)• They believe working is better than not working (16 percent)• They want to outperform their colleagues (13 percent)• They are afraid of their boss (6 percent)

What employees admit happens while working on vacation

Among employees who took a vacation in the past year:• 24 percent were contacted by co-workers about a work-related matter. The survey also found that this was more likely to happen to employees with a total household income of $75,000 – $99,999 (33 percent) than those with a household income of less than $50,000 (18 percent).• 20 percent of employees say they were contacted by their boss about a work issue• 17 percent said they had a difficult time not thinking about work• 9 percent said their family members complained about them working• 6 percent admit consuming alcohol while attending to work

‘Vacation’ doesn’t mean what it used to mean

So what can we take away from these findings? Apparently, with greater connectivity available it’s harder to really leave work behind at the office. In a press release, Glassdoor career and workplace expert Rusty Rueff said, “it’s clear the word vacation among employers and employees doesn’t mean what it did in the past. Before technology allowed us to be connected 24/7, we were more likely to have actually ‘vacated’ our work for a couple of weeks a year, but now, it appears one full day away is a luxury.’’ Rueff also said, “While there is always work to be done, employees should be conscious of using time off they’ve earned to recharge. In turn, employers should consider being more clear to everyone about what it means to be on vacation, actually let others be on vacation, and go beyond just encouraging employees to use time off. Some real rest and relaxation will help employees return to work energized, ready to contribute and make them less susceptible to burnout.’’