One Third of U.S. Workers Haven't Taken a Vacation in More Than 2 Years (Video)

Thirty-six percent of Americans took their last vacation over two years ago, and 51 percent have not vacationed in more than a year, according to the 11th annual Vacation Confidence Index by Allianz Global Assistance.

Many previous studies, from a variety of sources, have shown that Americans, especially younger generations, have a hard time getting out of the office and spending some quality time off. Even though we know vacation is good for our mental and physical health, and some of us even get paid vacation time from our employers, the latest numbers on how many U.S. workers are not taking time off is still, well, depressing.

However, Allianz Global Assistance defines a “vacation” as any trip that is at least a week in a destination that is 100 miles or more from home, so there’s no accounting for trips like “micro-cations,” which are increasingly growing in popularity amongst Millennials and Gen X workers. That said, a previous study identified the ideal vacation length as eight days, and for many people that's not happening.

It doesn’t look like 2019 will be a good year for vacation either. According to Allianz Global Assistance, only 42 percent of respondents said they felt confident they would be able to take a vacation this year — the lowest since 2013.

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You can probably blame all the usual suspects for this vacation deficit as well. Forty-four percent said money was the main reason why they couldn’t take time off, and 19 percent said they wouldn’t want to spend on vacation anyway. Another 12 percent of workers said they didn’t want to take the time off of work. Other reasons include other personal obligations that get in the way of taking time off and the stress of planning a vacation.

But it’s not just employees who are overworking themselves, it’s also the employers. The survey also revealed that 52 percent of U.S. workers say they take about the same amount of vacation time as their bosses do. So, bosses, if you want your employees to use their PTO, you’re going to have to leave the office, too, sometimes. The survey showed Americans are only using 41 percent of their paid time off, while their bosses are using 51 percent.

The survey concludes that American vacations are changing – so much so that week-long vacations could go out of style. Allianz Global Assistance noted that short trips may become even more popular in the future, especially when it comes to making getting away — even for a day or two — more accessible for younger workers.

'Vacation Shaming' Is Preventing Millennials From Taking Time Off (Video)

The American workforce is shaming its largest segment of workers into leaving behind unused vacation days. 

A new survey conducted by travel insurance firm Allianz Global Assistance revealed that millennial workers in the United States are suffering the most from “vacation shaming,” a term used to describe work environments where colleagues and bosses indirectly discourage employees from taking time off.

The eighth annual Allianz Travel Insurance Vacation Confidence Index found that as many as 25 percent of millennials reported feeling nervous when requesting time off from their employers, as opposed to 14 percent of Gen X’ers and six percent of workers aged 55 and above. Millennial workers (between the ages of 18 and 34) are the most likely to feel guilty, afraid, or shameful when requesting vacation days.

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The Vacation Confidence Index also revealed that 48 percent of millennials are not using all of their paid time off each year, though they’re not alone. An earlier survey from Allianz found that it’s been more than a year since half of Americans (53 percent) last took a vacation and nearly four in ten workers (37 percent) said they haven’t taken a vacation in more than two years.

“Many Americans, millennials in particular, are leaving vacation days on the table which could be the result of vacation shaming — the sense of shame, guilt, or other negative feelings received from co-workers for taking a vacation,” said Daniel Durazo, director of communications at Allianz Global Assistance USA, in a statement.

“We were surprised to see that when compared to older generations, millennials more commonly succumb to these negative feelings by choosing not to take all their entitled vacation days. Meanwhile, Gen X’ers place the same amount of importance on vacations, but seem to have the system better figured out because they are the most likely to take all their allotted vacation time,” Durazo added.

This year’s Vacation Confidence Index, which represents the opinions of 1,009 randomly-selected adults living and working in the U.S., was conducted by national polling firm Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of Allianz Global Assistance USA. The survey defined vacation as “a leisure trip of at least a week to a place that is 100 miles or more from one’s home.”

The findings are consistent with a similar survey conducted by Project: Time Off for its annual State of American Vacation report, which revealed that millennial women are the least likely to use all of their vacation days. Last year’s report introduced the term “work martyr” to describe the tendency for millennials to be work-obsessed and prioritize face time in the office over the need to unplug by taking a vacation.

The State of American Vacation 2017 report released earlier this year stressed that taking a vacation can not only help you recharge and be more productive, but that it can also help you land a promotion.

But not all bosses discourage their millennial staff from using vacation days. Kim Peters, an EVP for workplace consultant Great Place to Work, says that “93% of millennials who answered our Trust Index survey and work at the 100 Best Workplace for Milllennials feel that they are able to take time off from work when it’s necessary.”

Among those whose employers made the list of best workplaces, “88 percent said they feel they work in an emotionally and psychologically healthy workplace,” Peters told Travel + Leisure. “While it isn’t the case for everyone, there are great workplaces where all workers are encouraged to take time off.”

To inspire more Americans to use all of their vacation days, earlier this summer Travel + Leisure launched Operation Vacation, a page of more than 50 travel deals and discounts on airlines, hotels, cruises, and vacation packages.