A significant number of American workers are not making full use of their paid time off, according to a new Harris Poll survey of 1170 workers.

The survey revealed that 78% of American workers leave some of their days off unused. This trend is most pronounced among younger professionals, particularly Generation Z workers and millennials.

Younger workers, especially Generation Z and millennials, say they feel under pressure to meet deadlines and maintain high levels of productivity, which makes them hesitant to ask for time off.

Libby Rodney, director of strategy at The Harris Poll, says that many young workers fear being seen as lazy if they take a vacation, which leads them to avoid formally asking for days off, explains CNBC.

However, this doesn't mean that they aren't taking breaks. Instead, these workers often take "silent vacations", i.e. they take time off without informing their bosses. Millennials, in particular, are adept at finding discreet ways to take breaks, such as not notifying their bosses about time off, moving their mouse to appear active on work platforms and scheduling messages outside of normal hours to pretend they are working overtime.

Rodney describes a "giant culture of alternative solutions", in which millennials seek work-life balance behind the scenes, rather than openly addressing the need for time off. This practice contrasts with that of Generation Z workers, who are more vocal against the stigma of asking for time off. The phenomenon of "silent vacations" allows workers to take breaks without risking their professional reputation.

To mitigate this problem, employers can take various measures, such as clearly communicating the process and expectations regarding requesting vacation, implementing policies that require workers to take a certain amount of vacation days.

The broader feedback from the survey suggests that many Americans support the adoption of European-style labor laws that impose clearer boundaries between work and personal time. These include extended vacation policies, longer lunch breaks, shorter work weeks and regulations that protect against expectations of immediate response outside of work hours.

Millennials are ‘quiet vacationing’ rather than asking their boss for PTO: ‘There’s a giant workaround culture’
Younger workers are more likely to say they get nervous when asking for time off, and they’re leaving PTO on the table.
CNBCJennifer Liu