Seniors are donning caps and gowns, barbecue grills are being fired up, baseball diamonds are humming and all the rituals of summer are beginning. For many, that means piling the family into the car and heading off on vacation. For many, it doesn’t.
Roughly half of Americans won’t be taking a summer vacation, and there are several reasons why.
Money is a factor. A survey by Bankrate of people aged 18+ found 50% of those not leaving home say they just don’t have the money.
24% say family obligations are keeping them from fulfilling dreams of time off from work, while another 22% say they can’t even get the time off.
Even those who are able to qualify for paid vacation leave, 36% of Americans won’t take all they have earned this year, and 13% won’t use up any vacation time at all.
We are a nation of hard-working people, and leisure apparently doesn’t come as naturally to us. Even when not punching a clock, Brandi Clark, regional director of Robert Half, the nation’s largest specialized staffing company, says many employees today have trouble shutting down. “Houston was surveyed and 61% of professional said they will not unplug when they are on vacation,” she tells KTRH News.
She says businesses gain when workers take time off and recharge their batteries. “When you come back to work after doing that, you come back with a fresh set of eyes. You come back motivated and inspired, and it sounds like more people in Houston need to do that.”
Have you packed yet?