Feeling anxious? You could have Out of Office panic

Almost half of employees suffer the side effects

Feeling anxious? You could have Out of Office panic

Returning to more work and feeling guilty about taking paid time off (PTO) are the most common reasons behind out-of-office anxiety for employees, a new study has revealed.

A study by SkyNova found that 48% of employees said coming back to more work is main cause of their out-of-office anxiety. Forty-two percent said they feel guilty, while 41% said creating more work for their team leave them anxious in taking their time offs.

Some 35% said they are concerned for looking like a bad worker, while 29% are wary of team resentment. Among the respondents, 21% said they are worried of being fired for asking for paid time off.

Meanwhile, when it comes to work situation, half of work-from-home employees experience low levels of anxiety for PTOs, 28% feel moderate anxiety, while 23% feel high levels of stress.

For hybrid workers, 44% experience low levels of anxiety, 35% experience moderate levels, while 21% experience high levels. For on-site workers, 44% also experience low levels of anxiety, 29% feel moderate levels, while 27% feel high levels.

In terms of company size, employees from small- and medium-sized companies feel high levels of stress when taking PTOs, accounting for 25% and 29%, respectively.

By generation, some 38% of employees from Generation X experience high levels of stress, 34% of Baby Boomers feel similar levels, and 22% of Millennials feel the same high rates of anxieties for PTOs.

The study also revealed that 57% of employees and 60% of managers agree that people should avoid taking PTOs during high workload periods.

Some 43% of managers and 39% of employees also believe that people should avoid taking PTOs when co-workers are out of office.

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