Payroll
By the Numbers: What We Do With Our Leisure Time
Have you taken a vacation this year? Will you end the year with unused vacation time? If you go on vacation, do you check your email or take business-related calls?
Oct. 01, 2014
Have you taken a vacation this year? Will you end the year with unused vacation time? If you go on vacation, do you check your email or take business-related calls? You are not in the minority if you combine work and play. The latest statistics from Work-Life Balance Expert Jeff Davidson make it clear that leisure time plays second fiddle to work time in most of our lives.
Interestingly, his findings also show that those who do make an effort to get away from it all are likely to be healthier, and find that they experience less stress and are less likely to be depressed. So what are you waiting for? Take a break!
By the Numbers:
- 226 million days – The total vacation days that American workers gave up and lost in 2011. (Expedia)
- 92% of workers send emails or make work-related calls when away from the office. (WJS)
- 7 out of 10 employees work after hours and on weekend, most because of “self-imposed pressure.” (SHRM)
- 83% of U.S. workers check their email at least once during vacation. (AOL)
- 38% of workers use all of their vacation time each year. (Expedia)
- The average American spends 2.8 hours per day watching TV, the most common leisure activity in the U.S. (BLS)
- 18 minutes – The average amount of leisure time spent per day on sports or exercise. (BLS)
- 19 Minutes – The Average amount of leisure time spent per day on socializing and communicating. (BLS)
- Men who take vacation time every year can lower their risk of heart disease by 20%. (SUNY)
- Women who take vacation more than once a year can dramatically lower levels of depression and increase marital satisfaction. (NIOCSH)
- 90 minutes of aerobic exercise per week improves a person’s stress management. (HelpGuide.org)
- 40% of adults say that if they had more time, they would spend it with family. (DayRunner)
- 72% of workers believe their time management skills improve on days when they exercise. (Univ. of Bristol)
- More than 8 in 10 male Fortunate 500 CEOs say they wish they had a job that allowed them more time to pursue interests outside of work. (Fortune)