New Niche Market? Employees Who Refuse to Take Time Off.

In an effort to force employees to use their vacation time, some employers are resorting to paying for the vacation, in addition to the paid time off.

In a recent study by the U.S. Travel Association, researchers found that more than forty percent of American workers will not use all of their paid time off (PTO) this year. The website Glassdoor reports that about fifteen percent don't use any of their PTO at all.

While some workers cite the cost of vacationing as the primary reason for leaving their PTO untouched, others cited the fear of being seen as "replaceable," returning to giant piles of work, and appearing less dedicated than their colleagues.

Some senior managers have recognized that in order to reap the benefits of vacation (reduced stress, fresh perspective, and recharged energy), they may have to actually force employees to go on vacation. Hubspot, for example, mandates a two-week minimum vacation for all employees.

Some employers have taken it even further. The Wall Street Journal reports that Evernote, a software services company in California, is actually paying $1,000 to employees to take a vacation at least one week in length. (They don't get the money until the vacation is complete.) FullContact, another software company, offers its employees $7,500 per year to pay for nonworking vacations. The companies justify the expense, because it leads to increased worker productivity.

What does this mean for tour providers? Working with local employers to provide vacation packages to their vacation-deprived staff could be the beginning of a whole new market.

Written by Jennifer Reynolds, Groups Today staff writer.