How mandatory PTO policies affect employee happiness

A recent study from Skynova, an online invoicing and accounting company, identifies a contradiction in how employees view taking time off: On average, full-time employees would like an additional seven days of paid time off per year than they currently receive but almost one in five respondents report avoiding taking time off due to having too much work or feeling unsupported by their employer.

Skynova’s survey received responses from 800 employees and 200 managers about their organization’s PTO policies and its impacts on their overall wellness. The results show that 89.9% of respondents’ time-off policy is a set number of days per year, while 10.1% have unlimited PTO.

On average, the study reports full-time employees receive 18 days of PTO per year, yet they would like to have 25 days of PTO per year. The desire for more time off was highest among millennials and baby boomers as well as among those at entry or associate level and the manager or supervisor level.

Having PTO available and using it are different things, and the study reports almost 31.9% of employees “often” avoid taking time off because they feel unable to do so — another 32% “sometimes” avoid it and another 19.8% “always” do. 

Happier and more productive employees