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More than half of adults are subject to ‘vacation shaming’

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We put in 100 percent at work, 40 hours a week, and sometimes people just need a break. But a recent survey by car rental company Alamo shows that more and more people are being “vacation shamed” when they take time away from the office.

Forty-nine percent of the more than 2,000 adults surveyed said they have felt vacation shamed, which Alamo defines as “being made to feel a sense of shame or guilt by co-workers, their supervisor or their employer for taking time off to go on vacation.” One in five people are even taking shorter or fewer trips because they’re nervous about the reaction from others.

Millennials Are Getting Hit The Hardest

Despite all the Instagram posts about #wanderlust, millennials are actually the group of workers most likely to feel vacation shamed (68 percent feel it) and to change their vacationing habits because of it. Almost half (46 percent) of millennials reported they feel the need to justify to the boss why they want a day off. (The older generation doesn’t agree, with only 23 percent of respondents over 35 saying they need to justify using earned vacation days.)

Even worse, one-third of millennials freely admit they’re also guilty of vacation shaming others!

The Benefits Of Taking A Break

More than half (53 percent) of millennials and a third of those 35 and up admitted that, even when they do take a vacation, they still check in at work. This laser focus on work could actually be harming your productivity, along with your mind and body.

Put simply, researchers from the State University of New York wrote, “Vacationing may be good for your health.” They found a correlation between men who had better cardiovascular outcomes and those who took more vacations each year.

And you don’t have to sacrifice your paycheck for your health, either. The Harvard Business Review also described a 2006 study at Ernst & Young that found that, for each 10 hours of vacation time used, employees received performance reviews that were 8 percent better.

Possibly the saddest part of the survey? More than 80 percent of people don’t even take a vacation with all of their used vacation days, perhaps instead spending those days running errands, cleaning the house or watching Netflix.

About the Author

Haley Otman

Haley Otman is a news and features writer based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she roots for the University of Michigan Wolverines. A former broadcast news producer, Haley has 10 years of writing experience and has worked in both journalism and public relations. More.

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