Employees are afraid that taking their offered PTO could lead to layoffs or poor performance reviews, and they’re suffering for it.

By Gillian Manning

A competitive job market has workers clinging to their jobs rather than jumping. As they cling, they’re avoiding any and all risk that could land them in hot water–including taking their PTO.

Careerminds, a leading global provider of outplacement and career development services, surveyed 900 U.S. professionals and found that one in five American workers worry that using their PTO could make them more vulnerable to layoffs.

Aligning with that conundrum, 1 in 4 workers report experiencing burnout often and 3 in 4 report experiencing it at least sometimes.

Raymond Lee, president of Careerminds, says, “These findings highlight that American workers are sacrificing their well-being to protect their jobs, a result of a workplace culture failure rather than employee choice. Having PTO available is no longer enough; employees need to feel safe taking it.”

If it’s not cultural pressure preventing employees from taking PTO, it’s potentially understaffing. Workers across generations report fears that time off would mean their responsibilities would go uncovered or projects would fall behind.

Other key findings:

• More than one in 10 professionals say their workplace culture actively discourages PTO use. Even when that PTO is used, many workers report not being able to fully log off.
• One in five professionals say they’re afraid taking time off could negatively affect their performance reviews and promotion opportunities.
• The pressure feels particularly high amongst Gen Z workers, with about 25% reporting they avoid PTO because they may be more vulnerable to layoffs. For comparison, about 19% of millennials, 13% of Gen X, and 2.44% of boomers say the same.

These pressures seem to subside amongst remote workers, with Careerminds reporting that 43% of remote workers say they always take their PTO, compared to about 31% of workers in-office full-time and 19% of hybrid workers.

“ The stark difference between remote workers, who feel empowered and comfortable to disconnect, and office-based and hybrid workers, who face visibility pressures, proves that flexibility alone isn’t the answer. Leaders must create cultures where rest is valued just as much as productivity, and where taking time off is seen as essential to sustainable performance, not a career risk,” Lee says.