Vacation time

For those not bombarded with the Expedia commercials making the same point, Ipsos-Reid notes that a quarter of Canadian workers don't take all the time off that they're entitled to, largely out of fear that time off will hurt their standing in the workplace:

Stefane Kabene, a professor of human resources and organizational behaviour at the University of Western Ontario, said many employees worry about losing their footing as they climb the corporate ladder.

He says workers are increasingly avoiding taking off large blocks of time, in exchange for two- or three-day breaks.

"Their biggest fear is what's going to happen at work when they're not there," said Kabene. "If you leave for three or four weeks, you don't know who might be replacing the place you're leaving."

The most surprising part of the survey is that of the people who don't take time off, more work on vacation days out of fear (30%) than out of financial need (20%, based on the article's statement "one in five" - thought note that it's not clear that the number is from the same survey).

This isn't a matter of choice, it's a matter of corporate culture. And some added recognition that most workers need time to recharge could do as much good for employers as for the workers who stay on the job when they don't have to.

(Edit: typo.)