• Men who took less than three weeks of vacation annually had a 37% greater chance of dying, according to a study.
• Companies want employees to take time off — with some even offering them cash.
• Several companies now offer unlimited PTO.
If you want to live longer, you should start using your vacation days — or move to a company that offers at least three weeks of paid time off. And there are actually quite a few of them.
It’s all about stress
Research published in The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging found that taking at least three weeks of vacation could increase longevity. And men who took three weeks (or less) of annual vacation had a 37% greater chance of dying.
The reasoning behind the increased risk of death isn’t shocking; researchers said by working more, men encouraged more stress into their lives. Shorter vacations negated the benefits a vacation can offer.
Regardless of how much vacation your company offers, American workers take very little of it. The US Travel Association said that 768 million vacation days went to waste in 2018, which resulted in more than $65 billion in lost benefits. There are even stories about companies offering as much as $7,000 to encourage workers to take time off.
If you want your next job to have a better work-life balance, consider the following 10 companies, all of which offer unlimited vacation days, according to US News & World Report.
10 Companies with endless vacation
Netflix
Employees at the streaming giant have the benefit of an unlimited PTO package due to the trust Netflix has in its workers, which starts at the top with Netflix Co-CEO Reed Hastings.
In his book, “No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention,” Hastings recalled a story about what an employee once told him, which persuaded him to offer an unlimited vacation policy.
“We are all working online some weekends, responding to emails at odd hours, taking off an afternoon for personal time. We don’t track hours worked per day or week. Why are we tracking days of vacation per year?”
Oracle
The computer software company allows its salaried employees to have unlimited vacation time, which they call “flexible vacation.”
Those unable to get overtime are allowed to use vacation but it needs to be pre-approved by their superiors.
The company recently announced it will build a new mega-campus in Nashville.
Roku
Based in San Francisco, Roku, a TV manufacturer, said it doesn’t track its salaried employees’ vacation time or official holidays. Instead, the company allows for “as much vacation as you think is appropriate” assuming everyone completes their work and it doesn’t impact workflow.
Along with other offerings — like 20 weeks of maternity and paternity leave — Twitter has an unlimited vacation policy for the company’s 5,500 employees.
Dropbox
With offices in San Francisco, Austin, and New York, cloud company Dropbox allows workers to take unlimited vacation, and employees can take up to four consecutive weeks off, according to the company.
Sony Electronics
In an effort to keep employees refreshed, Sony allows workers to utilize their unlimited PTO policy.
“The company recognizes that we employ professionals — our employees effectively balance work demands with time-off already. No need to place rigid controls around time-off. We trust our employees to manage their own schedules,” the company said.
Grubhub
The company, which connects diners to restaurants, said it values its workers’ work-life balance, and like others, wants people to be able to relax and recharge. Exempt employees are allowed unlimited vacation time, while non-exempt employees are still offered a “generous time off policy,” according to the company’s website.
Hubspot
Hubspot, a developer and marketer of software products, offers employees $5,000 a year for continuing their education, and unlimited vacation too.
Workday
The software company just requires advanced approval for time-off requests, but they have what they call a “flex time off” package for employees.
“We know you often have to be flexible in when and how much you work to meet the needs of your projects or team. So, for salaried Workmates, Workday offers a flexible time off (FTO) policy, which allows you to take time off from work when you need to. We trust you to maintain a good balance between your time off and your work responsibilities,” says the company website.
General Electric
General Electric started offering employees unlimited vacation back in 2015. For one of America’s largest corporations, it was an eye-opener since start-ups and tech companies are more often the kinds of firms to offer the package.
The policy, which affects nearly half of all its salaried US workforce, has no limit on the number of days someone can take off.
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