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By Suzanne Blake
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A large number of Americans are using PTO to sleep rather than take a vacation, according to a new report.
An Amerisleep.com survey of more than 1,200 Americans revealed that 37 percent used vacation days in the past year just to rest.
Why It Matters
While many companies have updated their PTO policies to be more flexible or even unlimited in nature, Americans may be less likely to use the time off for vacation due to higher costs of living.
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However, overall exhaustion can also play a key role, sparking many workers to take the time off to rest instead of following any specific plans.
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What To Know
The new report found that one-third of workers aren’t spending their vacation on leisure because they’re using it to recover from exhaustion. That rate was highest among millennials, at 43 percent, followed by 34 percent of Gen X, 33 percent of Gen Z and just 20 percent of baby boomers.
“People often crave this unattainable work/life balance complex where many Americans are using time off just to catch-up on rest,” Kevin Thompson, CEO of 9i Capital Group and host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek. “With the demands of children, extended family, and daily social engagement, it stands to reason that many are looking for a respite to recharge the life battery wherever they can.”
The survey also found that higher earners were 26 percent more likely to use PTO for sleep than those earning under $100,000. On average, Americans who took PTO for sleep used two to three days to catch up.
What People Are Saying
Rosie Osmun, certified sleep science coach at Amerisleep, told Newsweek: “Burnout is so widespread that people are burning vacation days on basic recovery instead of new experiences. This shift shows that rest has become a necessity, not a luxury.”
Thompson also told Newsweek: “People have to live two lives, professional and personal, while some have a combination of the two. Many are juggling work/life which may lead to an unbalance where people will either leave the workforce altogether, which is what seems to be happening currently, or productivity output will decline while at work.”
Alex Beene, financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: “It's a worrying trend. America has historically been one of the worst countries when it comes to using PTO time, and given the economic uncertainty of the moment, that statistic more than likely won't improve any time soon. Having to balance the personal and professional obligations can be exhausting, and as a result, more Americans have to tap into PTO time just to get adequate sleep more than using it for an actual vacation. The concern - obviously - is it indicates a society that is largely overworked and could actually lead to less effective work over time from those same employees.”
What Happens Next
Thompson said it’s unlikely that vacation will ever truly disappear from the American experience, but staycations may become more prominent in the coming years. “I quite often hear people say they need to ‘take a vacation from their vacation’ when they get back home. Some people feel like their vacations are more work than the actual vacation was supposed to be, leaving them drained even further. We may see people do more of a stay-cation where they can actually catch up on sleep without the stress of being on the go.”
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