It’s a summer of playing hooky: feeling pressured not to take their earned vacation, Americans are finding a loophole

(Credit: Peera_Sathawirawong—Getty Images)

This summer, employees are on the clock even when they’re on vacation and trying to run out the clock when they’re working. The culprit behind this paradox, which leads to stressful beach time and no emails after 3 p.m, is America’s always-on workaholic culture. 

So finds The Harris Poll when surveying more than 1,100 employed adults during late April. Many Americans are satisfied with the amount of paid-time off they get but they’re still leaving vacation days on the table. The majority of workers (78%), don’t use all their PTO, taking an average 15 days off per year.