Editor’s Note: ‘Happy Hour’ is an HR Dive column from Editor Ginger Christ. Follow along as she dives into some of the offbeat news in the HR space.
Nearly a quarter of U.S. workers didn’t take any vacation days in the past year, according to the FlexJobs Work and PTO Pressure Report published in October.
That’s a problem for which Visit St. Pete-Clearwater, Fla., a regional tourism marketing and management organization, has a solution.
VisitSPC recently launched a campaign offering workers up to $250 if they use their remaining PTO days to book a stay in the St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida, area.
“Everyone deserves a break, and Visit St. Pete-Clearwater wants to encourage people to take that time off and use it on a well-deserved beach vacation. And of course, there’s no better place to do that than at America’s Favorite Beaches!” Jason Latimer, director of public relations at Visit St. Pete-Clearwater, told HR Dive via email.
The organization had the idea after coming across SHRM research that found that nearly half of workers leave PTO on the table at year’s end, Latimer said.
Here’s how it works.
Workers who book a room directly through VisitSPC.com/PTO for a visit before the end of the year will receive $50 in gift cards for each night booked.
“No proof of unused PTO is necessary when booking,” Latimer said.
Already, VisitSPC has seen increases both to the website and in bookings since the campaign launched.
“Visit. St. Pete-Clearwater has never run a campaign like this before, and it’s exciting to see the quick traction this campaign has caught on since it was announced!” Latimer said.
Who can blame workers when the promotion reads, “With bright, warm sunshine, award-winning white-sand beaches, and average temps in the upper 70s to 80s this time of year, St. Pete-Clearwater makes a compelling case for swapping spreadsheets for sandcastles. As most of the country layers up, Florida’s Gulf Coast is still basking in endless summer and now, it’s paying you to join.” I certainly can’t, sitting here writing from not-so-sunny Cleveland, Ohio.
However, although novel, the campaign points at a gloomy side of workplace dynamics.
While some 82% of U.S. workers have paid time off, a quarter said their manager would discourage them from taking a full week off, per the FlexJobs Work and PTO Pressure Report. Workers cited heavy workloads, manager expectations and company culture as reasons for not taking more time away, the survey found.
And, as the job market continues to swing ever farther back in favor of employers, it’s not hard to imagine these pressures for productivity will increase — especially in the U.S. A survey last year found that Americans work more and vacation less than our European counterparts. Perhaps unsurprisingly, only a third of American workers said they’re happy or very happy with their work-life balance, compared to more than half of Europeans.
Even if employees do manage to go on vacation, a greater number admit to putting in work while they’re off, a May Dayforce report found.
I consider myself lucky; at my company, when we are off, we’re off. Our managers model this, ensuring they set an example of healthy work-life balance.
This hasn’t always been the case. I remember being on the first vacation with my immediate family in decades, hoping to fulfill a bucket list trip for my parents, and being forced to field emails for a former employer. As my parents age, I know those are moments I won’t get back.
As part of its campaign, VisitSPC asks workers, “What does PTO mean to you?” Is it a “Peaceful Tropical Oasis (where better to unplug than on America’s Favorite Beaches?)” Or the “Perfect Tanning Opportunity (this is the Sunshine State, after all)?” Or, more saliently, “Playing Together Outside (because adventure is calling, and your inbox can wait).”
Whichever reason resonates, the organization gives workers “‘Permission To Oust’ [their] workday blues and take the vacation time [they’ve] earned.” It’s time, VisitSPC says, “to swap stress and spreadsheets for beach days,” to cash in on those moments you won’t get back.