How To Encourage Employees To Take PTO: 4 Expert Tips

Many of us like taking time off work to spend time with those we love most. It’s a good idea to reflect on your employees’ use of paid leave, to determine if they’re taking their PTO and making the most of the benefits of taking time off from work. Surprisingly, 54% of people continue to work even while their out-of-office is on.

It may seem counter-intuitive to think encouraging your employees to go on vacation will increase productivity. But it does. Not only that, it also improves overall wellbeing.

Paid time off can also help employees feel better about their jobs as they get a much-deserved rest. Encouraging this means they may want to stick around longer as they feel appreciated. And of course, there are also the health reasons time away helps your company: better rested employees mean fewer sick days and stress-related illnesses. One of the other benefits of PTO is also a positive effect on mental health.

Implement effective PTO planning for employees and ensure your workforce is getting the adequate rest and downtime needed to recharge with BambooHR. In this article, we’ll discuss the benefits of taking time off work and our top tips for encouraging your employees to actually take that time‌ off. Manage time-off tracking with automatic PTO tracking software.

The Benefits of Taking Time Off from Work

The average person in the US spends one-third of their life at work. And with nearly half (44%) of working adults experiencing burnout, there’s no denying some time away from work can do some good. There are a wide range of benefits of staff using paid leave away from their job, including:

• Better mental health for employees: Your staff will feel in a better place mentally after taking a break from their screens.
• Improved productivity: Employees are more likely to be productive if they’ve had the time off to recuperate.
• Increased morale: Having time off can increase the overall morale of employees.
• More job satisfaction: Staff may feel happy and fulfilled in their roles.
• Reduced job turnover: Staff are less likely to leave if they are happy.

How to Manage PTO Effectively: 4 Expert Tips

Before you can manage PTO, you need to create a culture around taking time off. What’s your company’s PTO policy? How much is too much PTO? And whatever the policy says, what’s the actual PTO request approval rate?

Once you’ve ironed out the details of your policy, it’s time to put it into action. We’ve gathered our top tips for encouraging PTO in your organization, so employees can actually take advantage of it.

1. Reward with Time

Reward your people for great work by giving them time off. You can give employees a long lunch, suggest they take off a little early from work or even give an extra paid day off.

Often your employees love giving back to the community, so give them time away from work to support a worthy cause with a charity day of their choice, for an ultimate feel-good experience.

2. Give a Mandatory Extra Holiday

Offer mandatory days off. Some employees simply won’t take PTO no matter how much you ask. In fact, 46% of US workers don’t use all their vacation time.

Give time off for everyone on President’s Day, extra days around national holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas, Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday, or even obscure holidays. If your any on your team have children, letting your people take some of these extra days will allow them to spend more time with loved ones without making them feel like they’re falling behind. This could be the case during school holidays, for example. And your people will know you’re devoted to their whole-life happiness, not just the work they do.

Of course, if you can’t shut down completely, the key is to offer options. Why not have half the workforce take off the day before Thanksgiving and the others take the time off after?

3. Give the Gift of Giving Back

Giving your employees the opportunity to give back to the community—and paying them to do it via volunteer time off—is a win-win-win for employers, employees, and the community in which you live and work. This kind of paid time off highlights your organization’s commitment to corporate social responsibility.

4. Incentivize Vacation

Employers are realizing that it’s not just about the time away, but also what employees do with that time. Doing cool, fun things promotes unwinding and de-stressing. And your people will know that your company feels strongly they should be using their PTO and are backing up their story by paying them to use it.

It’s not just employees who reap the rewards of a reimbursed vacation—your company benefits from a pay-for-vacation policy as well. It’s a great tool for recruiting and encourages a more collaborative environment across your teams. A robust culture of taking time off when needed also encourages teams to document processes, share their knowledge, and let others fill in. This will also help in the long run when unexpected things pop up.

These are just three ways you can get creative to make sure your people reap the benefits of PTO. This can only benefit your company as much as it benefits them.

Empower Your Team to Take Time Off with BambooHR’s Transformative PTO Management

Now that you know how to use PTO, it’s time to put it into practice. With this new knowledge, you’re on your way to increasing employee satisfaction. Manage this easily with BambooHR. Using our HR software means you don’t have to do it manually. Automate this business process with our time-off tracking management software.