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Report: Over half of workers can't completely break away from work during off time

A top reason is that people aren't being given sufficient paid vacation benefits by their companies, experts say.
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Posted at 6:00 PM, Oct 14, 2022
and last updated 2022-10-14 20:00:11-04

Work-life balance is essential, but a new report from the employment siteGlassdoorfound that over half of U.S. workers said they felt like they couldn't completely disconnect from their work duties during off time like when they go on vacation.

While 63% of workers said they would turndown a job if paid time off was not included as a benefit, according to Glassdoor's report, many felt once they've grown at work they can't let it go and take a break completely.

Experts call this a "workcation" and say that forcing oneself to set clear boundaries is essential to fixing the issue.

Experts say that making a habitual practice of staying loyal to hobbies outside of your job is essential to work-life balance and long-term mental health.

Do not bring your work phone with you on vacation, or at least keep it turned off, experts advise.

Jonny Edser, managing director of the team building organization Wildgoose USA, told CNBC, “One of my best tricks is to turn off my phone completely and leave it off for the week and I tell my team that if they urgently need me then they can phone my wife. That is a good way for the team to ask themselves if their call is important!”

Making sure when you're on vacation that you're staying active and busy is also important to learning how to switch your brain off when it comes to the work back home.

The Glassdoor report said, "Older professionals have the most difficulty with unplugging on vacation."

One of the top reasons why experts say workers can't fully turn off is that they aren't being given sufficient time off benefits at their company.