Prioritizing time off to prevent burnout:

How can you align your time off policies and culture to ensure workers are getting the breaks they need to adapt and grow with the business?

Paid time off (PTO) helps workers avoid burnout and thrive at work. So why is it so hard to get people to take it? In 2018, American workers left behind 768 million days of unused PTO or more than 27% of their earned time off -- up 9% from 2017. Meanwhile, global productivity losses attributed to negative mental health outcomes and related negative physical health outcomes has grown to US $1 trillion annually. The inability to disconnect has skyrocketed during the pandemic, as burnout, among other mental health conditions, has worsened and increased in prevalence, but taking time off has decreased.

In this Deloitte article, we explore the possible consequences of the rift between optimal performance and unused PTO, review policy updates some organizations have been implementing to address time off, and offer a framework for how organizations can better align their time-off policies and culture to enable workers to take the rest they need in a way that can benefit all.

While it may not be possible for every organization to overhaul its time-off policies, especially as many are reevaluating business strategies to stay afloat in a challenging economy, organizations have options to address their workforces' long-term or acute needs for time off.