People are having vacation remorse.
It’s a known fact that working Americans rarely use their PTO — however, one generation in particular feels the most guilty when they finally take that long-awaited vacation, according to a new survey.
A survey conducted by YouGov on behalf of iced tea brand Halfday revealed that 58% of US millennials do not take a day off without feeling bad about it.
The 3,767 participants were asked what level of guilt they felt when taking any time off, specifically for pleasure.
Those born between 1981 and 1996 responded, saying they were hard on themselves when they took this well-deserved break from work.
However, only 55% of Gen Zers felt self-inflicted guilt. And boomers? They’re booking that vacation and not looking back, as less than half of the generation born between 1946 and 1964 felt remorseful about using their PTO days.
Mike Lombardo, co-founder of Halfday, tried justifying why millennials feel any sort of shame for taking time off: “Millennials feel guilty about taking PTO because they entered the workforce in a unique time, when technology really started to boom, and there is this expectation of always being available,” he told Newsweek.
He said that even when people finally step away from their desks, many still feel the need to stay tuned in to what’s going on at work via their phones.
“In the US, the work-life balance is always tipped on the work side, compared to most other countries, and there is also this dread that when they come back, they’re going to have to play a ton of catch-up.”
To add to this theory, a survey by communications firm Movchan Agency showed that 54% of US adults admitted to working while on vacation.
According to a 2024 report, 62% of Americans leave many PTO days on the table every year — which has almost doubled within the past four years.
That study also divulged that the baby boomers are doing something right, as this generation takes one more week of vacation time compared to both millennials and Gen Zers.
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