Stupid Millennials Are Now Ruining The Idea Of Vacation With ‘Work Martyrdom’

Millennials are so damn annoying. They bitch and complain about not being able to get jobs, then you give them a job and they don’t want to leave it. Not even for a day off! I’m a millennial and I’m always perpetually embarrassed by new dumb reasons to hate my generation. Today it’s because millennials don’t take vacation, according to Travel & Leisure.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to do your job. But millennials believe that taking time off from work is a bad thing, even though they dream of quitting their jobs to go on never-ending Peter Pan canoe trips in Alaska or some bullshit.

A report from Project: Time Off, an organization started by the U.S. Travel Association to change American work attitudes and behavior, says  increased work pressures and a 24/7 always-on attitude have caused many Americans to increasingly abandon their vacation days. It’s estimated that 55% of working Americans didn’t use all of their vacation days in 2015, leaving behind 658 million days of unused PTO.

Katie Denis, senior program director of Project Time Off, tells Travel + Leisure that “Four out of every 10 employees say they actually want to be seen as a work martyr by their boss. But at home, it is a different story—86% of employees believe it is a bad thing to be seen as a work martyr by their family.”

Newflash, millennials: If you think the only way you can valuably contribute to your workplace is by falling on some PTO sword, your boss is going to see right through that. Working hard is great, but it’s useless if you’re not rejuvenated enough to bring something fresh and exciting to the table. Vacation is pretty damn good at making that happen.

In a survey of more than 5,600 working Americans, Project: Time Off asked them how much they agree with these four statements:

“No one else at my company can do the work while I’m away.”
“I want to show complete dedication to my company and job.”
“I don’t want others to think I am replaceable.”
“I feel guilty for using my paid time off.”
Nearly half (48%) of the millennials surveyed said it is a good thing to be seen as a work martyr by the boss, far outpacing the average (39%), Gen Xers (39%), and Baby Boomers (32%).

This mirrors a recent study from Alamo Rent a Car, which found that millennials are the most likely to make others feel a sense of shame for taking a vacation or “vacation shame.”

In conclusion: Just go to that music festival or on that road trip with your buddies to New Orleans. You’ll thank yourself later. If you don’t use your vacation days and everyone else does, you can’t hold it against them in your quest for career success. You can’t presume you work harder just because you’re too much of a stubborn fool to take an earned day off. It also isn’t an excuse to play kiss-ass to fast-path your way up the company ladder.

After all, no one likes a martyr.

Brandon Wenerd is BroBible's publisher, writing on this site since 2009. He writes about sports, music, men's fashion, outdoor gear, traveling, skiing, and epic adventures. Based in Los Angeles, he also enjoys interviewing athletes and entertainers. Proud Penn State alum, former New Yorker. Email: brandon@brobible.com