More workers prefer time off over pay hike

By Davud Schepp
(Westchester, N.Y.) Journal News

While sharp increases in productivity among U.S. businesses and their workers are often credited to greater use of technology, the fact is that Americans are working longer hours, too.

For some, that has translated into an increasing need for time away from the job.

Human-resource experts say time off consistently ranks among the top three concerns among today's workers, along with compensation and staffing levels, according to Salary.com, a career Web site.

According to an online survey by Salary.com, a growing number of U.S. workers would sacrifice a $5,000 raise to take a break from the stresses caused by increasing work hours.

Although most of the 4,600 respondents are opting for bigger paychecks, the percentage looking for a break has nearly doubled — 39 percent, compared with 20 percent — in the past three years.

In interviews with workers, consultant Mary Lou Quinlan discovered many people describe their work day not as 9-to-5, "but as whenever they want me."

Increased productivity demands mean many of us are not only working harder, but also working into the evenings and weekends, says Quinlan, who is author of "Time Off for Good Behavior: How Hardworking Women Can Take a Break and Change Their Lives," published by Broadway Books.

The advent of e-mail and the cell phone have made it harder to escape the office. Some workers are expected to check in with their companies during time off.

It's a slippery slope, because some businesses then think their workers are always available.

Meanwhile, increased stress leads to increased absenteeism, accidents and the departure of talented workers.

You can just keep ratcheting up productivity only so far before it becomes inhuman, Quinlan says. Workers would "rather have time to live their lives."