Survey reveals employees want more paid time off, but are unlikely to even use it for a summer getaway

The survey results come as employees start to think about their summer getaways—data from Namely's HR platform shows that the longest vacations are often scheduled between June and August, but the average duration was just 2.34 days. Canvassing the paid time off outlook of 471 employed adults in the United States, the April 2015 survey revealed that most employees are willing to sacrifice big for unlimited paid time off, a current trend in employee benefits. Respondents to the survey were willing to (or had already) given up stock options or a higher salary (40%) in return for more time off. And over two thirds of those surveyed rated PTO policies as "very critical" or "somewhat critical" when considering the entire benefits and compensation package for a new job.

Over half the survey participants said they intend to take 15, or in some cases, up to 20 days of annual vacation, but the average American only took 11 vacation days in 2015 (out of an average 15 offered), according to another recent survey. What accounts for this gap? Limiting company policies are the number one barrier standing in the way of employees taking more time off, but when paid time off is unlimited or policies are not an issue, people don't take the time they want due to other workplace pressures. Stress and negative perception play a key role in this; two of the biggest barriers preventing employees from taking more vacation time are "stress at the thought of missing time at work" (21%) and a "negative perception at work toward taking time off" (16%).

"What this tells us is that despite the best intentions to take large chunks of time away from work and unplug from technology, employees are feeling confined and are using vacation time differently than previous generations," said Matt Straz, Founder and CEO of Namely. "The result is shorter, more frequent bursts of vacation time requested last minute, which means it's even more critical for today's employees and HR departments to effectively communicate to mitigate any business impact. Now with Namely's mobile app, companies can signal that they truly encourage employees to take time off and help solve vacation deprivation. This is where HR technology becomes about more than performance reviews, and actually about helping employees manage work-life integration."

Namely's new mobile app for iOS allows users to access time off balances, submit requests, and view a full list of company holidays right from the native app experience. Managers can also view pending requests, approve them, and see an employee's time off history and balance, enabling them to make informed decisions on the go. The app also makes it easier for employees to stay engaged with their Facebook-style news feed within Namely and access a full people directory.

"Our employees are thrilled to now be able to submit time off requests from their mobile device and it gives me and our managers greater visibility into our employees' plans at any time," said Kathryn Goodick, HR Director at SwervePoint and a Namely client. "I love that Namely has built a mobile HR experience for employees."

Features of Namely's mobile app for iOS include:

• Instantly search and contact employees.
• Request and manage time off.
• Stay up to date with the company social news feed.
• Find office locations.
• Log in securely with TouchID.

Namely's mobile app for iOS is available for clients only and can be downloaded from the Apple App Store.

Survey Methodology

Namely surveyed 471 participants in April 2015 with 10 questions aimed at gauging attitudes toward vacation and paid time off. The questions varied from "how do you plan to use your PTO this summer" to "on a scale of 1 to 5, how critical is PTO in the entire benefits and compensation package with considering a new job"? Demographic data (age, gender, kids and salary range) is available for all survey responses. 50.4% of respondents are classified as millennials.  For more survey results visit the Namely blog.

About Namely

Namely is the first HR platform that employees actually love to use. Namely is powerful, easy-to-use technology that allows mid-sized companies to handle all of their HR, payroll, benefits, and talent management in one place. Coupled with dedicated support and benefits consulting, every Namely client gets the software and service they need to deliver great HR and a strong, engaged company culture. Namely is used by over 450 clients with over 75,000 employees globally. Headquartered in New York City, the company is funded by Sequoia Capital, Matrix Partners, True Ventures, Lerer Hippeau Ventures, Greenspring Associates, Vayner/RSE, Bullpen Capital, and others. For more information, visit www.namely.com and schedule a free personal demo. See today how Namely can help keep your employees engaged and your company growing.

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SOURCE Namely

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