Worker Burnout Costs Companies Productivity, Experts Say

Vacation deprivation is running rampant, workplace experts say. American productivity is up, but so is depression and the amount of money spent on coping with burned-out workers. "Right now, it's a race to the bottom as companies cut labour to the bone," said Joe Robinson, who founded the Work to Live campaign, which is lobbying for a minimum of three weeks of vacation for all Americans. Robinson, who wrote "Work to Live: The Guide to Getting a Life," said politicians from both parties are showing signs of support. The three weeks Robinson wants for Americans is less than the five, six and even greater amounts of time off granted in Europe. Robinson says clocking more hours doesn't necessarily mean more work is getting done. He points to studies that show that workers deliver the same amount of productivity over seven weeks whether they worked 40 or 50 hours per week. Expedia.com's recent vacation survey suggests that Americans hand back to employers more than $21 billion in unused vacation hours. More people say they are taking less time away from work and feel guilt when they do break away. The "e-leash," tethering workers to the office while they are supposed to be resting is becoming increasingly common, Robinson said. Cell phones, e-mail and remote-access voice mail make it easier to keep working. CIGNA HealthCare, for example, doesn't have a set policy about workers checking in from vacation, said Lane Pittman, executive vice president of human resources in Phoenix. "Most of our employees work directly with their managers to ensure their responsibilities are covered appropriately," Pittman said. "There are times, given business needs, that it's not possible (for workers to be out of touch with work). We may ask employees if we can contact them while on vacation." Such interruptions to time off are managed by planning ahead, she said. CIGNA grants increasing amounts of vacation with length of service. Yet nationwide, 13 percent of all companies don't offer vacation time, up from 5 percent in 1998, Robinson said. "Business has to understand they pick up a tab of $150 billion a year in job-stress costs," he said. "We are at the mercy of people who would rather get a root canal than give us time off." Carol Kamin, nonprofit executive director for the Arizona Children's Action Alliance, understands both the need to check into the office and stay away. "For two weeks, I didn't know what was going on," Kamin said of a recent trip to Eastern Europe. At first, that was difficult. "Then it stopped mattering." Like so many other professionals, she has worked while vacationing. She has been known to check voice mail continuously while on vacation. "The moment you do that, it gobbles you up."