At Owl Labs, we support flexible work policies that allow employees to feel empowered to work however and wherever they feel most effective. And time off often falls into that equation.

We wanted to learn more about how individuals think about vacation time, vacation guilt and being away from the office, and so we surveyed employees from North America and Europe to see the current state of vacation time.

After polling 2,969 respondents across the United States and Europe, we learned that many companies have a lot to do to keep up with modern day standards surrounding vacation policies.

The data revealed that European employees take an average of 7 more days a year than those in the United States. Those in the U.S. are also 50% more likely to feel guilty taking vacation time. Many companies try to create policies that allow employees to take time off, however, that does not guarantee that people will. 

Some more key findings from the report are:

• Europeans take, on average, 22 vacation days per year, while Americans take 15.
  
  
• 26% of respondents feel guilty taking vacation time and being away from work.
  
  
• Those between the ages of 25-44 were more likely to feel guilty for taking vacation time and being away from work than those who are older.
  

To read the full report and join the conversation, check out the report here and share the results on social with #StateOfVacation.