Study finds Fear of Being Replaced, Poor Communication Prevents Taking Time Off

Study finds Fear of Being Replaced, Poor Communication Prevents Taking Time Off Study finds Fear of Being Replaced, Poor Communication Prevents Taking Time Off Workers cite returning to an excessive workload (40 percent) and the feeling that nobody else can do their work (35 percent) as the top reasons they leave PTO unused. One-third (33 percent) of respondents said they cannot afford to use their PTO, and about a fifth (22 percent) of workers were concerned with being viewed as replaceable.This work martyr complex is reinforced by company culture mainly poor communication around time off. Even though senior business leaders overwhelmingly recognize the importance of using time off (95 percent), two-thirds (67 percent) of American employees say their company says nothing, sends mixed messages about or discourages using their PTO. Further, one-third of senior business leaders state they never (19 percent) or rarely (14 percent) talk with employees about the benefits of taking time off.Management may be unintentionally sending employees mixed messages when they take their time off. Nearly half (46 percent) keep responding to emails, while 29 percent return calls from work during their PTO, sending the signal that it is not acceptable to be away from the job.