Employees are increasingly working during vacations, according to a May 28 report from Dayforce, a global human capital management firm.
For yet another year, the number of employees who say they disconnect from work completely while on vacation has declined, dropping from 47% to 39% to 37% over three years.
In addition, 16% said they’ve missed out on time with family or friends because they needed to work while on vacation, 15% have worked secretly while on vacation and 11% have pretended they were sick while on vacation so they could work.
The numbers demonstrate a “blurring line between work life and personal time, with many employees staying plugged in to work during vacations,” according to the report.
In a survey of more than 2,000 full-time employees in the U.S., Canada and the U.K., 79% said their overall well-being would improve if they could achieve work-life balance during the summer. However, 79% also said they feel pressure from their employer or manager to maintain the same productivity during the summer.
About 7 in 10 employees said they may not be able to take a summer vacation in 2025 because they can’t afford it (28%), they’re too busy to take time off (20%) or they don't have enough vacation days (18%).
Even so, some employees find ways to sneak in extra time away during the summer months, the report found. Nearly half of workers said they log off or leave work earlier during the summer; smaller numbers also said they extend lunches to enjoy the warmer weather, call in sick to take a long weekend or attend social events, use company apps to appear like they’re working and leave work early on a Friday without telling their manager.
To help workers take time off and achieve better work-life balance, employers can plan for vacations by creating team coverage plans, Dayforce said. In the survey, 39% of workers said this would help them feel more comfortable taking time off and be able to disconnect without worrying that work will go unfinished.
Managers should also set an example by taking time off and fully disconnecting, the report found, which could reduce stigma about taking a vacation. Nearly 40% of workers said this would help them.
Through financial perks, employers can offer travel stipends or incentives to offset vacation costs, which 31% of employees said they’d find helpful.
Overall, U.S. employees tend to work more and vacation less than European workers, according to a Kickresume report. Americans were also more likely to report stress, feel guilty about taking time off and have lower satisfaction with their work-life balance.
Additionally, Generation Z employees are the most likely to prioritize their personal needs over work, according to a SurveyMonkey report. They’re also more likely to embrace quiet vacationing and use sick time for vacation or mental health days.
The growth of “quiet vacationing” in 2024 could signal problems with work-life balance, according to a Perceptyx report. Although 7 in 10 people work to some degree during their vacation, they’re also twice as likely to take a quiet vacation day, which could suggest overworked employees are trying to “regain some work-life balance,” the company said.
