{"id":3236,"date":"2023-08-24T09:08:10","date_gmt":"2023-08-24T13:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dailycupofwellness\/?p=3236"},"modified":"2023-08-24T09:08:10","modified_gmt":"2023-08-24T13:08:10","slug":"why-arent-gen-z-workers-using-their-vacation-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/dailycupofwellness\/2023\/08\/why-arent-gen-z-workers-using-their-vacation-time.html","title":{"rendered":"Why Aren’t Gen Z Workers Using Their Vacation Time?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Over the past year, Gen Z workers have made headlines for partaking in Bare Minimum Mondays, being quiet quitters, and taking advantage of remote work. So, it\u2019s not hard to assume they\u2019d also be the generation that takes the most PTO, but that\u2019s not the case. Only 58 percent of Gen Zers planned to take a vacation this summer, lower than the national U.S. average of 62 percent, according to the latest edition of LinkedIn\u2019s Workforce Confidence Index.<\/p>\n

Could this generation\u2019s tendency to quit quietly lead to a more manageable work-life balance? Have they mastered setting work-life boundaries to the extent that they simply don\u2019t feel burnt out and need more extended vacations? The reality is that there are countless contributing factors: for starters, guilt. The report showed that Gen Z feels the most guilty for not working while on vacation and the most likely not to take vacation due to the state of the economy.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, many feel pressure to get rid of the reputation that they\u2019re disengaged and feel they have to prove themselves otherwise. Shayla Colon, a Gen Z reporter at asset management publication Fundfire, said she\u2019s only used vacation time once this year for a trip she planned last year. She said, \u201cI often feel guilty about taking PTO. My vacation this year ended up only being five days because I wanted to get back to work, and I was anxious about leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, there\u2019s more to it than guilt. Gen Z workers are taking advantage of flexible and remote work, which sometimes allows people to run more errands during the day or log off at 5 p.m. to get started on their post-workday plans early. They\u2019re not overdoing it at work, which causes significant stress or fatigue. That\u2019s not to say they\u2019re not working, but they have a different approach to prior generations, who are more likely to take on too much, work overtime, and need a vacation. The last time Samantha took PTO was in April. She\u2019s an editor for a publication in upstate New York.<\/p>\n