Why You Should Never Have Unused Vacation Days

Workers in the U.S. left 169 million paid unused vacation days in 2013 according to an article on Forbes.

That’s $52.4 billion in unused vacation days that workers won’t get back, or about $504 per worker. This is due to how most vacation policies don’t allow for rollover vacation days.

Another interesting statistic I found – According to Skift, 42% of Americans didn’t take any paid vacation days in the year of 2014.

These are all scary statistics to think about because workers in the United States already work far more than the average person in most other countries around the globe. Coupled with the fact that workers in the U.S. also receive fewer vacation days in the first place than those in many other countries, this is something that needs to be changed.

Sadly, I was often guilty of these same things, though, back when I had my day job. I would often leave at least a few days at the end of each year just because I was afraid that by taking all of them that it would look like I hated my job or that I was taking advantage of the company’s vacation policy.

How dumb was it of me to think like that, though?! I could have taken much more vacation time and probably would have been much happier.

I know many have unused vacation days year after year as well, too. There are many problems with this, though. Below are several reasons for why workers should stop leaving unused vacation days at the end of the year.

 

You deserve the vacation time.

You were given the vacation days you have for a reason – because you deserve them!

A company has a vacation policy for a reason – so that employees can take time off occasionally because it is often what is best for both the company and the employee.

By not taking all of the vacation days you are given, you are actually throwing money away since you are technically working for free on those days.

I recommend you add up how many days you are throwing away and how much you would have been paid on those days. That’s how much money you are throwing away!

 

You most likely aren’t jeopardizing your career.

According to a report published by Oxford Economics, employees who had unused vacation days were not more likely to receive raises or bonuses, which is a reason for why many workers leave unused vacation days on the table.

According to this report, it was actually the exact opposite – those who left many days on the table were actually less likely to receive a bonus than those who took all of their paid vacation days.

 

You don’t have to go broke taking time off.

One reason many workers give for why they don’t take all of their vacation days is because they don’t think they can afford to go anywhere.

Well, whoever said that you had to go somewhere when you take a vacation day?! There is no weird vacation policy rule that says you must leave your city in order to take your vacation days.

Instead of spending a ton of money, you could take a staycation instead. Enjoy the city you live in or even just stay at home and just relax. There is nothing wrong with that.

Or, you could churn credit cards so that you can go on very cheap or even free vacations.

Related article: How I’ve Earned Over $2,500 In Credit Card Rewards in 2015

 

You’ll perform better at work.

Those who take their vacation days are often more motivated, refreshed, more creative, and so on after a vacation.

Your brain needs a break every now and then and some time off can help you do that.

Related article: How To Stay Motivated And Become Successful

 

You’re hurting your health by leaving unused vacation days.

By working all the time and taking no vacation days, you are hurting your health. You are more likely to be sick, have heart disease, be depressed, be unfit, and more.

Taking all of your vacation days can help improve your health, plus you can have fun, so why not start taking all of your vacation days?

Have you ever left unused vacation days on the table? Why or why not? What’s your company’s vacation policy?