by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 1:35 PM ET, Tue August 25, 2026
For years, we’ve known that Americans consistently leave their vacation time unused. A recent report indicates that 62% of US employees don’t take all of their paid time off, which equals $312 billion in vacation value annually.
Now, a new survey reveals that even when Americans take a vacation, they struggle to unplug from work and relax while away.
With the popular Labor Day holiday just around the corner, a just-published survey from NumberBarn reveals that nearly 1 in 3 employed Americans(32%) admit they’ve secretly worked on vacation without telling family, friends or travel companions.
And that’s not all. Nearly two-thirds (62%) of employed Americans checked or responded to work emails, calls, or messages during their most recent vacation, including 32% who did so multiple times per day. All of which makes clear that for many people, vacation does not mean disconnecting from work.
Need more evidence of this reality? Read on. Here are some of the additional takeaways from the survey.
- Nearly 4 in 10 employed Americans have interrupted or changed vacation plans because of a work issue
- Almost 1 in 10 have cut a vacation short entirely because of work
- 55% feel pressure from an employer, manager or clients to remain reachable while away
- 60% regularly work extra hours before vacation to prepare for their absence
- 40% have started working before their vacation officially ended to get ahead of their return
Working on a laptop while traveling. (Photo Credit: olezzo/Adobe Stock)
The looming threat of AI
Not only are Americans having trouble unplugging while away from work, but AI is making this reality even worse. The rise of AI, which its tech overlords have promised will eliminate a large swath of white-collar jobs leading to mass unemployment, is adding another layer of anxiety for American workers.
Everyone from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to Bill Gates and Elon Musk has weighed in on this front, with Gates saying humans may soon not be needed “for most things and Musk pontificating that most humans won’t have to work at all in “less than 20 years.”
These messages are weighing heavily on the minds of American workers, according to the NumberBarn survey. Some 22% of workers say the rise of AI in their workplace has made them less comfortable taking a vacation or even fully using their paid time off.
What’s more, among workers who say AI has made them less comfortable taking a vacation, the most common concern is appearing replaceable (55%). Others say they feel a greater need to demonstrate their value (50%), don’t want to fall behind (41%), or believe AI has raised productivity expectations in their workplace (33%).
The threat of AI and the anxiety it triggers also varies by age. For instance, one-third (33%) of respondents ages 18 to 29 say AI has made them less comfortable taking vacation, compared to 19% of workers ages 30 to 44 and just 15.1% of workers aged 60 and older.
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