🏖️ New Data Shows Why Employees Aren’t Taking Their Time Off

Hey HR Pros!

Paid time off is one of the most valued benefits in today’s workplace — but it’s shockingly underused.

Despite having access to PTO, many employees are opting out of taking time away altogether, not because they don’t need it, but because they don’t feel they can.

Between mounting workloads, pressure to appear committed, and a lack of clear cultural support, the barriers to rest are more psychological than procedural — and they’re costing both employee wellbeing and organizational performance.

Upcoming In This Issue:

• 🏖️ New Data Shows Why Employees Aren’t Taking Their Time Off

• 🐙 When One Job Becomes Eight: Navigating the Rise of the Octo-Hire

• 💸 Reimbursed Late, Stressed Early: Gen Z’s Expense Burden Is Growing

• 📈 HR Learnings | Stock as Strategy: Samsung Bets Big on Performance-Based Equity

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• Amazon to hire 250K holiday workers for third consecutive year

• Health insurance premiums are going up next year — unless you work at these companies

🏖️ New Data Shows Why Employees Aren’t Taking Their Time Off

Paid time off might be written into the handbook — but that doesn’t mean employees are actually using it.

Between unrelenting workloads and subtle cultural signals that time off equals slacking, the barriers to truly unplugging are high. And for HR leaders, it’s a red flag for burnout, engagement, and long-term retention.

Key Insights

• 📊 Heavy workload is the top barrier to PTO use.
  43% of employees say sheer workload keeps them from taking time off, regardless of how much PTO they have.

• 😰 Fear of falling behind still dominates.
  30% of respondents avoid PTO because they worry about catching up, compounding existing stress instead of relieving it.

• 👀 Workplace culture isn’t PTO-friendly.
  29% feel pressure to look committed by staying visible, and 19% say leadership doesn’t clearly support taking time off.

• 🧠 Unplugging is key to retention.
  When employees fully disconnect, they return more focused and engaged — and HR’s retention goals get a major boost.

read the full 395-word article here

🐙 When One Job Becomes Eight: Navigating the Rise of the Octo-Hire

There’s a moment most HR professionals recognize: an employee quietly absorbing the tasks of three, four, even eight roles — without a title change, without a raise, and often without boundaries.

That’s the reality for the growing number of “octo-hires” — employees brought on for one job but slowly stretched across too many others.

Key Insights

• 🕗 Octo-hire = one employee, eight roles.
  Defined by Glassdoor, octo-hires are overwhelmed staff doing the work of multiple roles, usually without recognition or support.

• 📈 Burnout signals are spiking across reviews.
  Mentions of burnout in employee reviews have jumped 32% — the highest in nearly a decade — tied to growing role creep.

• 🎭 Job postings don’t tell the full story.
  Many octo-hire situations begin with a normal job description, but extra responsibilities are layered on over time.

• 🗣️ HR can coach employees to set boundaries.
  Encouraging staff to track tasks, ask questions early, and clarify expectations can help prevent silent overextension.

read the full 882-word article here

HR LOLs

💸 Reimbursed Late, Stressed Early: Gen Z’s Expense Burden Is Growing

There’s a growing gap between company expectations and employee cash flow — and it’s putting younger workers in a bind. Covering work-related costs is becoming standard for many employees, but the wait to get reimbursed is anything but short.

Key Insights

• 📈 Employees are fronting $8B annually in work expenses.
  The average worker now pays $320/month out of pocket — up 231% from just six years ago, according to Conferma data.

• 😓 Gen Z is hit hardest, with $253/month in expenses.
  70% of Gen Z say they’ve had to cover more costs since the pandemic, and 72% experience ongoing cash flow problems.

• ⏳ Reimbursements take 2.5 weeks — or never come.
  Some workers lose nearly $300/year due to slow or missed reimbursements; many are forced to borrow from friends or family.

• 🛑 Expense pain delays business decisions.
  Half of employees avoid work-related purchases just to dodge out-of-pocket costs — stalling projects and operational flow.

read the full 576-word article here

📈 HR Learnings | Stock as Strategy: Samsung Bets Big on Performance-Based Equity

When companies succeed, employees often see little more than a celebratory email. But performance-based stock incentives may be changing that story — and Samsung’s latest move signals a shift worth watching.

The company is launching a new stock-based bonus system, offering employees 200–300 shares depending on role and company performance over a three-year period.

Key Insights

• 💸 Equity meets performance in Samsung’s new model.
  Employees can earn shares over three years, tied directly to the company’s stock growth — separate from standard performance pay.

• 📊 The payout scales with stock price increases.
  If stock grows by 40–60%, employees get full shares. A 100% increase? Double the reward. Below 20%? Nothing.

• 🗣️ Some employees remain skeptical of the plan.
  Critics argue the stock is already near peak — making a 20% gain in three years a high bar to clear.

• 🚀 A potential blueprint for future benefits.
  Despite mixed reactions, the approach could inspire more equity-based incentives in competitive hiring and retention strategies.

read the full 765-word article here