America isn’t taking a break: What unused vacation days reveal about a nation that preaches work–life balance

A new FlexJobs report exposes a sharp contradiction in the American workplace: while most employees have paid time off, nearly one in four take none at all. Cultural pressure, heavy workloads, and implicit managerial discouragement have turned rest into a professional risk, raising urgent questions about trust, burnout, and the true meaning of work–life balance.

America isn’t taking a break: What unused vacation days reveal about a nation that preaches work–life balance
A new FlexJobs report exposes a sharp contradiction in the American workplace: while most employees have paid time off, nearly one in four take none at all. Cultural pressure, heavy workloads, and implicit managerial discouragement have turned rest into a professional risk, raising urgent questions about trust, burnout, and the true meaning of work–life balance.