We already knew that 41% of us with jobs that offer paid time off don’t plan to use all of it. A new survey from the U.S. Travel Association reminds us about that P (paid) in PTO. Americans collectively have $224 billion in accumulated vacation time at private-sector companies, TIME reports.
The report points out that this unused vacation time is nearly half the federal deficit. “The average vacation liability per employee totals $1,898, and in some companies studied is more than $12,000 per employee,” the report says. Are you handing your company $1,898 or $12,000 extra? Either way, you deserve a vacation.
Even worse, the liability grew by $65.6 billion from 2014 to 2015. The U.S. Travel Association has a “Project: Time Off” Initiative. That’s how little time Americans take off work — and it’s the least in four decades.
READ MORE: Scientific Proof You Need a Vacation Right Now!
TIME reports that those who work in small companies roll over the least amount of vacation time. People who work for companies with fewer than 100 people roll over an average of less than five days, while people at companies with five or fewer people roll over even less than that. They point out that those at smaller companies may get fewer days to begin with.
Previous reports from the U.S. Travel Association have linked vacation days with mental health and relaxation. (Duh.) Chances are these dismal numbers won’t get better until the U.S. makes a federal law requiring paid vacation time, or employers start encouraging their staffers to actually use their days.
Until then, I’ll just leave this here: Expedia.com.
