Workplace Anxiety Keeps U.S. Workers from Taking PTO, New Survey Reveals
- Raymond Lee
- 12 minutes ago
- 5 min read
As burnout continues to climb and workplace anxiety reshapes employee behaviour, new research from Careerminds reveals a growing disconnect between paid time off policies and employees’ willingness, or ability, to actually use them.
Careerminds surveyed 900 U.S. professionals to uncover the key barriers preventing employees from fully utilizing their PTO benefits.
Key Findings:
One in five U.S. workers (17.56%) worry that using their PTO could make them more vulnerable to layoffs
17.22% fear that taking time off could negatively impact performance reviews or promotion opportunities.
More than one in ten (10.78%) say their workplace culture actively discourages PTO.
Recent research shows that burnout is affecting U.S. workers at alarming rates: 1 in 4 experience burnout often, rising to 3 in 4 who experience it at least sometimes. The result is a workforce suffering severe exhaustion, impacting both engagement and performance, highlighting an urgent need for employees to take breaks.
However, workplace pressures and career anxieties continue to have an impact on how U.S. professionals approach their time off. Careerminds surveyed 900 U.S. workers and revealed that many workers remain reluctant to disconnect fully, even when taking PTO.
The findings paint a troubling picture: nearly a quarter (23.56%) of workers avoid taking leave because they believe no one else can cover their responsibilities, while almost one in five (17.56%) worry that using their PTO could make them more vulnerable to layoffs.
Similarly, 17.22% of U.S. professionals fear that taking time off could negatively impact their performance reviews and promotion opportunities, and 17% say work tends to pile up before and after their absence. Concerns about losing momentum on key projects also prevent some from stepping away (15.11%), and notably, a staggering more than one in ten workers (10.78%) believe their workplace culture actively discourages taking PTO.
Younger workers struggle to switch off
Paid time off remains a crucial tool for helping employees avoid burnout. The research revealed that the younger workers still struggle to fully switch off due to workplace pressure and job security concerns.
A quarter of Gen Z workers (25.13%) admit they avoid taking PTO as they worry that it’ll make them more vulnerable to layoffs, in comparison to nearly one in five millennials (18.88%). The concern drops significantly among older generations, with just 12.50% of Gen X and 2.44% of Boomers reporting the same fear.
Career advancement anxiety also plays a role in why workers are avoiding taking their PTO. Nearly a fifth (18.46%) worry that taking their PTO could negatively impact performance reviews or promotion opportunities, a concern shared by even more millennial workers (21.94%). In comparison, only 12.50% of Gen X and 14.93% of Boomers report the same worry.
Workload challenges further prevent employees from stepping away. One-fifth of Gen Z workers (20.51%) avoid PTO because there’s no one else to cover their responsibilities, while this rises to more than a quarter of millennials (26.02%). Similar concerns are felt among Gen X (22.43%) and boomers (21.95%).
These findings highlight a growing disconnect between the availability of PTO and employees’ ability to take it without fear of professional consequences, especially among younger generations navigating an increasingly uncertain job market.
Office and hybrid cultures more likely to discourage taking time off
The research also revealed significant differences in work/life balance culture across working locations, with remote employees significantly more likely to take their PTO. More than two-fifths (43.33%) of remote workers say that they always take their PTO, compared to just 30.73% of those in the office full-time and only 19.09% of hybrid employees, suggesting that flexibility may play a key role in encouraging healthier boundaries. Additionally, the data found that 13.17% of in-office and 11.82% of hybrid workers say their workplace culture discourages PTO, more than double the 6.30% of remote employees reporting the same.
Career-related anxieties were found to be particularly common for hybrid workers. More than a quarter (27.27%) avoid taking their PTO because they believe that there is no one else to cover their responsibilities, while the same proportion (27.27%) worry that taking PTO could negatively affect performance reviews or promotion opportunities. A similar number of hybrid workers fear losing momentum on key projects (26.36%) or believe taking time off could make them more vulnerable to layoffs (26.36%), highlighting how hybrid arrangements can create unique pressures around visibility and productivity.
Office-based workers also report barriers to taking leave, including concerns about workload piling up before and after PTO (19.51%), fears about making them vulnerable to layoffs (17.56%), and worries about performance reviews or career progression (17.07%). Remote workers report significantly fewer cultural and career-related barriers overall, with 21.11% citing coverage concerns, 10.74% concerned about losing momentum on work tasks, and 10.37% worried about layoffs.
These findings highlight how working location and flexibility continue to have an impact on rest and recovery, with remote environments appearing to support stronger work-life balance norms, while hybrid and in-office settings may reinforce visibility pressures and career anxieties that make workers more hesitant to step away.
According to Raymond Lee, President of Careerminds:
“These findings highlight that American workers are sacrificing their well-being to protect their jobs, a result of a workplace culture failure rather than employee choice. Having PTO available is no longer enough; employees need to feel safe taking it. The stark difference between remote workers, who feel empowered and comfortable to disconnect, and office-based and hybrid workers, who face visibility pressures, proves that flexibility alone isn’t the answer. Leaders must create cultures where rest is valued just as much as productivity, and where taking time off is seen as essential to sustainable performance, not a career risk. Organizations that create that kind of environment won't just boost morale, they'll retain talent, reduce burnout, and build more sustainable teams for the long term.”
Sources
Campaign methodology: This survey was conducted by Careerminds in January 2026, gathering insights from 900 U.S. workers. Data recorded: January 2026
Careerminds is a global workforce solutions provider specializing in outplacement, career transition, job architecture, and talent development. We combine modern technology with high-touch, one-to-one coaching to help organizations support employees through workforce change and growth. Our scalable delivery model enables consistent, personalized experiences across 80+ languages and major markets worldwide, offering a more flexible and cost-effective alternative to traditional firms. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.
Raymond Lee is the President of Careerminds, a contemporary global outplacement firm headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware. He has over 25 years of human resource, outplacement, and career coaching experience. He is also an industrial/organizational psychologist and a certified retirement coach. Raymond has contributed to SHRM, ATD, and other publications on the future of work, employee experience, outplacement, offboarding, and career fulfillment and has been featured in media outlets including SiriusXM Business Radio, Career Talk, HR Podcasts, and The Wall Street Journal. He is an active speaker through the SHRM’s speaker’s bureau and author of the book, Clocking Out: A Stress-Free Guide to Career Transitions. Raymond holds a bachelor’s in psychology and a master’s degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Louisiana Tech University. Follow Raymond on Instagram and connect with him on LinkedIn.
