Only 65% of Full-time Workers Plan to Vacation in 2012, Was 80% in 2007

The recession caused many American workers to rule out their annual vacations, but according to a new survey, bosses are finding more time for getaways than their workers. Eighty-one percent of managers have taken or plan to take vacation this year, compared to 65 percent of full-time employees.

While the number of American workers who have already taken or plan to take a vacation is up from 61 percent in 2011, the number of vacationers falls well below pre-financial crisis levels. In 2007, 80 percent of full-time workers went on vacation or expected to take a vacation that year.

The nationwide survey – conducted February 9 to March 2, 2012, among more than 5,000 full-time workers and more than 2,000 managers – found that vacations are still financially out of reach for many Americans. One in five workers (19 percent) said they can’t afford to go on vacation, which is down from 24 percent in 2011. An additional 12 percent of workers say they can afford vacations, but have no plans to take one, consistent with past years.

“Managers may be more likely to afford vacations, but they should still be encouraging their employees to use paid time off, even if they are staying close to home,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. “Workers who maximize vacation time are less likely to burn out and more likely to maintain productivity levels. Heavy workloads and financial constraints can make it difficult to get away from work, but even if you’re not traveling far from home, a few days away can have have a very postive impact on your health and happiness.”

The survey reveals several other vacation trends and topics of note:

• Duration of vacations shrinking post-recession – This year, 17 percent of workers took or planned to take a vacation for ten days or more. That’s down from 24 percent in 2007.
• Many workers contact work while on vacation – Three in ten workers contact work during their vacation, on par with last year. More than a third of managers (37 percent) say they expect their employees to check with work while on vacation, although most say only if the employee is involved in a big project or major issue going on with the company.
• Letting paid time off go to waste – 15 percent of workers reported they gave up vacation days last year because they didn’t have time to use them, down slightly from 16 percent who gave up days in 2010.
• “Stay-cations” are a popular option – Nearly two in five workers (38 percent) stayed home or are planning to stay home this year.
• Working while the family vacations – Twenty-three percent of workers say they once had to work while the family went on vacation without them, consistent with last year (24 percent).