Overview
- FlexJobs surveyed more than 3,000 U.S. workers and found 23% took zero vacation days in the past year despite having PTO.
- Workload is the leading barrier, with 43% saying they have too much work to step away and 30% fearing they will fall behind.
- Cultural signals matter: 29% report guilt or pressure to appear committed, and 25% expect a discouraging response to a full week off.
- Over one-third say they lack enough PTO, and unclear expectations around so‑called unlimited policies further reduce usage.
- FlexJobs’ Keith Spencer ties time off to better focus and resilience, and coverage highlights remedies such as mandatory rest windows, unplugged policies and workload redistribution.