In today's economic environment, even as the recession eases, employees feel pressured to work longer and produce more to protect their jobs. Many workers still worry that if they take time off, it could give the impression that they aren't dedicated to their job.

Despite earning the least amount of annual vacation days, Americans leave an average of three such days unused each year, according to Expedia.com's latest Vacation Deprivation survey findings. About one in five employed adults also reported that they have canceled or postponed vacation plans because of work.

In CareerBuilder's latest annual vacation survey, based on responses from 4,803 U.S. workers, more than half (56 percent) of workers said they are more in need of a vacation in 2010 than they have been in past years.

Today, many workers have vacations on their radars and are planning to be away from the office for longer, according to CareerBuilder's findings:

• Sixty-four percent of workers say they have already taken or plan to take a vacation this year, up slightly from 63 percent in 2009;
• Nearly one-quarter (23 percent) plan to take a week off this year, up from 19 percent last year;
• Twelve percent plan to be gone two weeks or longer; and
• Nearly one-third of workers say they won't be taking a vacation this year, with 21 percent indicating they still can't afford it.

"Where we will see the change this year is among the employed who, despite their job status, were hesitant to take paid leave during the recession for fear that it would further erode their already fragile job security," John A. Challenger, CEO of global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., said regarding his company's 2010 vacation outlook. "This year, while employers have been slow to ramp up hiring, they have clearly shifted from a strategy focused on downsizing to one emphasizing retention. In this environment, it is much easier to put in for vacation days."

The good news is that workers are feeling more at ease about taking time off. In the employment Web site's vacation survey, conducted in February and March, 36 percent of respondents said they feel more comfortable taking a vacation in 2010 than they did in 2009 due to an improving economy.

While finding a way to take time off can be a hurdle, actually being away presents its own challenges.

For example, taking a vacation may not allow you to be completely unplugged from the workplace. Nearly half (49 percent) of employers said they expect employees to check in with the office while they are away. One-quarter (25 percent) of workers said they plan to contact the office at least once while on vacation, regardless of what they are working on.

What is the point of taking a vacation if you are working throughout it, checking work e-mail or taking work-related calls on your PDA or cell phone?

"[W]orkers need to follow through and actually utilize their full vacation benefits; 15 percent reported that they didn't use all of their allotted time last year," Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder, says. "Utilizing time off to recharge batteries is even more important today as staffs have shrunk over the last 18 months and workers are dealing with added responsibilities and pressure."

A get-away-from-it-all attitude may seem like nothing more than a romantic notion, but it doesn't have to be impossible. When planning a vacation, Haefner recommends the following tips to ensure your time off provides a true break from the office:

1. Get it on the calendar immediately. Companies today are operating with smaller staffs, so having more than one person out of the office can have a negative effect on productivity. Be flexible and work with coworkers to schedule vacation time before booking anything.
2. Leave a plan behind. A few weeks before you leave, start recording important information, key contacts and any deadlines that will come up while you are gone, and give it to a coworker whom you've trained to fill in while you are gone. (Remember to return the favor to the coworker when he or she takes a vacation.)
3. Stick to a schedule. It's best to leave your work at the workplace. However, if you must do work during your time off, set limits and boundaries for yourself and your coworkers. Don't let activities on vacation be interrupted by excess responsibilities.
4. Set a good example. If you are a supervisor, you should go through all the steps of planning and executing a successful vacation away from the office. That way, your workers will be more comfortable doing the same.

The constant push for productivity makes many people hesitant to take a vacation. In addition, job insecurity has far-reaching negative effects on the workforce, not the least of which is the widespread fear of taking a couple of days to rejuvenate.

In a separate CareerBuilder survey of 2,778 hiring managers and HR professionals and 4,803 U.S. employees, nearly a quarter of workers said they are "dissatisfied" or "very dissatisfied" with their work-life balance, up from 20 percent last year.

Ultimately, making full use of vacation time is only one part of achieving work-life balance — albeit a very important part. Work-life balance is not simply about vacation time or PTO. In fact, your best individual work-life balance is likely to vary, even on a daily basis.

For more ideas on how to ensure your vacation is truly effective, see IMT's Why (and How) to Vacation. For more on finding a work-life balance that is best for you, see Get a Personal Life.

Resources

2009 International Vacation Deprivation Survey Results
Expedia.com

More than Half of Workers Feel They Need a Vacation More Now than in the Past...
CareerBuilder.com, May 25, 2010

Thirty-Five Percent of Workers aren't Planning to Take a Vacation this Year...
CareerBuilder.com, May 18, 2009

2010 Vacation Outlook: As Economy Recovers, So Will Worker Vacations
@Work (Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.), May 27, 2010

Nearly One-Third of Employers are Concerned about Top Talent Leaving their Organizations...
CareerBuilder.com, May 13, 2010