Taking a vacation this year? For a lot of workers, it’s ‘No’

Some have too much work to do. Others don’t have the money. Still others are saving for something bigger and better. And there are even those who just feel guilty about taking the time.

Whatever the reason, a lot of workers will be leaving vacation days on the table at the end of 2017.

In fact, 35 percent of 2,700 workers in 27 U.S. cities polled said they will not use all of the time off they are entitled to before the year comes to a close, according to a recent survey by Robert Half, a specialized staffing agency.

The reasons varied. On the good side, 43 percent of those who responded said they were saving the time for something later, presumably a bigger and better vacation.

But on the not-so-good side, 21 percent said they had too much work to do and another 15 percent stated they did not have the money to go on vacation. And that’s not the only bad news. Another 9 percent said they feel guilty about taking the time off.

Three percent said their boss discouraged them from using their vacation time.

To get the results, Robert Half polled full-time professionals who work in an office environment and are employed across multiple professions and industries in 27 major U.S. cities where it does business.

Andrew Sassaman, a Robert Half branch manager in Pittsburgh, wasn’t surprised by the results. Even with the economy humming — or maybe because of it — some employees just can’t find time to relax, he noted.

“Just in general more organizations are running more lean than they did 10 to 15 years ago. There’s not a surplus of workers. You combine that with we’re arguably in a very good economy now, there’s just more work to be done in general,” he said.

Even those companies that are trying to hire people are finding it difficult in some cases, he said. “There’s an employment shortage right now. Finding good people is quite a challenge. It’s not that they’re not trying to hire, it’s just that they’re not able to.”

Nor was Mr. Sassaman particularly shocked to learn that vacations seem to be becoming a luxury, at least for some. He noted, for example, a lot of students are joining the workforce with a lot of debt to pay off.

Others simply may have big mortgages and too many living

expenses to save for vacations. There may be other reasons as well.

“Let’s face it, a lot of people got wiped out 10 years ago when the recession happened and they’re still rebuilding that today,” he said.

Interestingly, the main reasons for not taking vacation time varied from city to city.

In Pittsburgh, for instance, 26 percent of those surveyed stated they have no money to go on vacation, while another 26 percent said they were saving for something later. A full 23 percent had too much work to do.

In Chicago, the city with the broad shoulders, workers might be taking that nickname too literally. Nearly a third of those who responded said they couldn’t vacation because they had too much work to do.

On the other hand, nearly two-thirds of Seattle workers — 61 percent — said they were saving time for later. In Cincinnati, there was a strong guilt complex, with 19 percent saying they felt bad about taking time off.

Miami workers appear to be the most financially hamstrung, with 28 percent saying they didn’t have the money to take time off.

Employees in New York, the city that never sleeps, nonetheless were the most likely to take time to relax, with 80 percent saying they planned to use all of their vacation days.

Mr. Sassaman had some tips for workers who have a hard time getting away from the office. One is to find ways to unplug even if you don’t have the money for a big vacation. A staycation still could do the trick.

Working too much makes you less effective at your job and can lead to burn-out or errors, he said.

Another is to be proactive. Make sure you keep track of vacation days so you don’t get to the end of the year with a lot left. Know company policies as to whether days are lost or carried over at the end of the year if not used.

Managers also can play a role. They can help by reminding employees with a large number of unused vacation days to take time off. In addition, it might be good to talk to workers one on one, for that may expose reasons they are not taking the time they have earned, he said.

And managers also can set an example for employees, Mr. Sassaman said.

“Don’t be the boss who never takes time off or works around the clock because that makes your employees feel as if they have to do the same thing,” he said.