44% of Employees Think About Resigning Once Back From Vacation
Everyone looks forward to a relaxing vacation. A vacation is supposed to make a person feel refreshed. But can it make people quit their jobs? Are people who take a vacation more likely to resign than those who don’t? Visier’s study provides insights into post-vacation resignations.
Vacations — everyone looks forward to it, whether it is a CEO of a company or a fresh graduate who joined a company a few months earlier. A vacation is supposed to take an employee’s mind off work and rejuvenate them so that they feel refreshed when they come back and resume their work with vigor.
But can time off work make people quit the company? Can it make people leave their jobs more than people who do not take vacations? Is there a truth to the rumor that employees will more likely leave their jobs post-vacation? Visier recently conducted a study to find the answers and gain more insights into post-vacation resignations.
People Consider Quitting Once Back From Vacation
According to the study, 20% of the respondents admitted that they would quit once they came back from holiday, and 44% thought about it. About 12% even used their time off to find another job. About 89% did feel refreshed after a vacation. However, 43% of respondents said they dreaded returning to work after their paid time off (PTO). About 11% felt drained after their vacation.
See more: Unlimited Paid Time Off: The Next Step in Flexibility Policies?
People Usually Take Time Before Quitting
Once they are back from vacation, how soon do people quit? While a significant number of people consider quitting on a holiday, most do not start job-hunting until they are back from their vacation. Thoughts of quitting do not always lead to impulsive decisions. According to the study, about 62% of respondents took as long as three months to leave once they were back from their vacation. Only 19% quit their jobs within a month of being back from PTO.
This means that while employees consider quitting during vacation, both the employers and employees have some time to fix the situation between them once the latter is back and moves out of the job.
How long it takes to resign once back from vacation
Source: Visier survey
Working During PTO Makes People More Likely To Quit
According to a study conducted by Fishbowl by Glassdoor, 56% of employees found it hard or unable to switch off from work entirely while on holiday. Further, it was the older employees who found it more challenging to unplug during their time off work. Contrary to the study, Visier’s study found that the younger generation found it more difficult to disconnect entirely from work while on vacation. Most of these employees did so by choice as they were either worried about the pending work they would have to handle once back from vacation or to ensure they were not missing anything important.
Working while on vacation was a major reason for many employees to consider quitting. People who continued to work during their time off had increased thoughts of quitting than those who completely disconnected. This is especially true for people who were expected to work during their paid time off. Of the people who had thought of leaving their jobs after a holiday, those who were connected to their work during PTO were 36% more likely to quit. Those who were required to work during PTO were 34% likely to leave. About 72% of the employees who were required to work during their time off thought about leaving their job while on vacation.
Demographics Affect the Rate of Quits After Vacation
While employees of all ages, genders and other demographics think of quitting, some have more thoughts and higher quit rates after a vacation. For example, while men and women thought of quitting while on PTO at the same rate, men were more likely (+5%) to resign after the vacation, while women were less likely (-4%) to do so. Similarly, age, too, played a factor in people quitting after a holiday. While Gen Z and Millennials were 2-5% more likely to leave after a holiday, Baby Boomers and Gen X were 9% less likely to do so. In fact, older generations were less likely to leave overall. This could probably be because they were close to retirement, they feel a greater stigma hopping jobs, or they are likely settled in their careers.
Besides age and gender, caregiving responsibilities, too, played a role in quitting after returning from PTO. It was found that people with dependents were more likely to both think about leaving their jobs and actually quit. The primary reasons may be flexibility, better work-life balance, or compensation.
Are employees with dependents more likely to resign after vacation?
Source: Visier survey
See more: 9 Best Strategies to Retain Your Employees
What Employers Can Do To Retain Employees at Risk of Quitting
Employers can do a few things to retain employees who are the risk of quitting post-holiday. The Fishbowl study mentioned above found that there was an increased discussion about unlimited PTO in professional circles. This could lead to people actually feeling refreshed after a holiday and even looking forward to work.
That said, the current study found that working during a vacation led to more people considering quitting and following through. This means that irrespective of how long the holiday is, employers should ensure that employees should actually relax and not work. They can create policies that prevent employees from working during their time off work.
Further, given that most people do not quit for almost three months after coming back from holiday, employers have time to identify if there are any challenges an employee is facing and mend the relationship. They should also identify the demographics that are more at risk of quitting, such as men, younger employees, and people with dependents. Strategies like stay interviews can help retain employees once they come back from vacation.
One critical way to retain employees is to focus on improving their experience. Taking the necessary steps to improve employee engagement and experience will help them stay with an organization for a long time.
What steps have you taken to retain employees once they are back from vacation? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
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