Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in January 2019 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
National Plan for Vacation Day is coming (January 28, 2020)!
Never heard of it? That’s ok. It’s kinda new.
In case you’re wondering, it’s effort from US Travel Association and their Project: Time Off campaign. They are aiming to shift American attitudes so that taking time off is understood as essential to personal well-being, professional success, business performance, and economic expansion. And we fully support this idea!
They even enlisted Samantha Brown, of Places to Love, to spread the word — and who doesn’t love Sam Brown!
Anyway, did you know that more than half (55%) of us aren’t using our hard-earned vacation time, resulting in a stockpile of 658 million unused vacation days and a workforce always on the brink of burn out. According to research from Project: Time Off, the top barriers for employees include:
- Concern over returning to a mountain of work, 37%
- Feeling that no one else can do the job, 30%
- Impression that taking time off is harder as you grow in the company, 28%
- Wanting to show complete dedication, 22%
There is a secret to overcoming all our vacation fears: planning.
It’s time for you to take back your calendar and put downtime at the top of your list of priorities. Planning for vacation can be achieved in three simple steps:
- Determine how much time off you earn and identify the vacation policies at your workplace.
- Get to dreaming! How do you want to spend your time off this year?
- Add your vacation plans to the calendar and share with your manager, your colleagues—everyone!
This year, don’t let your vacation days be part of a statistic. We’ll even help you get started. Get inspired by checking out one of America’s gayest cities.