Redefining Work Boundaries
Why Employees Cannot Disconnect From Work During PTO
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A friend of mine has so much unused PTO saved up that I joke she could probably disappear for a year and still have days left over. That may be an exaggeration, but her reaction to taking time off is very real. She has told me more than once that if she can be gone for a week or two and everything still functions normally, then maybe the company does not really need her. She sees being indispensable as proof of value, commitment, and work ethic. She is an extreme example of a workaholic, but I meet a lot of people who struggle with the same issue in smaller ways. Some employees never use their PTO at all. Others technically take PTO but spend the entire trip checking email, responding to texts, or attending meetings from hotel rooms. Many have bosses who contact them during vacation, and they feel pressure to respond immediately. Even when nobody reaches out, many find it incredibly difficult to disconnect from work during PTO.
