Holiday Break Will Be Anything But for Guilt-Ridden US Workers
Nearly two-thirds of American workers feel guilty taking time off when others have to work while far fewer Europeans say the same
A Christmas tree for sale at a Target store on Black Friday in Chicago.
Photographer: Christopher Dilts/BloombergTwo out of three Americans say they’ll be ready to work during the holidays even if they’ve taken the time off, pressured by managers but also by a sense of guilt that workers in other nations don’t share, according to a new survey.
The YouGov survey of more than 2,000 remote, hybrid and in-office workers from Slack, the workplace collaboration platform owned by Salesforce Inc., found that more than half feel stressed and pressured by the expectation to be constantly available for work. Nearly two-thirds of those in leadership roles said they expect staffers to be on call during the break because they will be too. American workers also felt the most regret globally about taking time off: 63% said they’d make themselves available out of guilt in seeing others work, but only 36% of Germans and 22% of those in the UK felt the same.