More Bosses Than Workers Taking Vacations: Survey

For many American workers, heading out of town on vacation may be more dream than reality.

Thirty-eight percent of American workers said they were planning on taking a so-called "staycation" or choosing to spend their vacation time at home, according to a survey from careerbuilder.com.

The trend isn't surprising given that the recession and sluggish recovery mean that workers have less money to spend on travel and are more concerned with sticking around to make sure they keep their jobs. Last year, only 65 percent of workers took a vacation, compared with 81 percent of managers and 80 percent of workers in 2007. And those trips are pretty short, the average vacation will only last 4.3 days, according to the Travel Industry Association of America.

This lack of vacation will probably make more workers less happy, according to a survey published in 2010 by the Journal of Applied Sciences in Quality of Life. The survey found that most people derived their relaxation and enjoyment from anticipating and planning for their vacation, The New York Times reports. Workers who went on vacation were generally happier than workers who did not.

And even when workers do go on trips, the nature of those vacations may be changing. Thirty-seven percent of managers said they expected vacationing employees to check in during their trip, according to the careerbuilder survey.