As Malaysians, we pride ourselves for having one of the highest annual public holiday, and it's a benefit that we can enjoy living in a multi-racial country celebrating many sort of festivals throughout the year. However, according to 2017 Expedia Vacation Deprivation Study, almost two third of Malaysians surveyed said they are vacation-deprived.
Only a mere 37 per cent of Malaysians took all their entitled leaves despite the recent increase in annual leaves to 18 days while 52 percent of Malaysian employees reported that they cancelled their vacation plans due to their work.
Predictably the 2017 study also revealed that 54 per cent of Malaysians spend their time at work dreaming about vacations.
Expedia Southeast Asia and India general manager, Simon Fiquet, said the primary reasons for the deprivation are budgetary or affordability issues, the desire to save up vacation days for longer holidays, and the inability to get away from work.
The survey also revealed that 35 per cent of Malaysians still checked their work-related emails or voicemails at least once a day while on vacation and 38 percent felt stressed after checking in, although 72 percent responded that they believe it is their right to take a vacation without feeling guilty.
“As one of the most socially engaged markets in the world, it is not surprising that employees in Malaysia find it hard to detach themselves from work but this also evidently corroborates that Malaysians don’t get to fully enjoy their vacation.
“Our report provides valuable implications- to both Malaysian employees and employers that quality time off is crucial for better productivity and performance as a critical part of work-life balance,” said Fiquet.
He also said the survey, which involved 15,000 full-time working adults in 30 markets, revealed that vacation deprivation is on the rise worldwide, with 53 per cent of respondents feeling vacation-deprived in 2017, compared to 49 per cent in 2016.
“Compared with the Americas and Europe, the Asia-Pacific region is leading the pack as the most vacation-deprived region, with South Korea topping the list, followed by France and Malaysia.
“Malaysia has been in the top five of most vacation-deprived countries since 2015,” he added.
However, when asked about the benefits of taking regular vacations, 49 percent of Malaysians agree that vacations are important for their general health and well-being, 47 percent agree that they are important for their relationship with their significant other and 47 percent agree that they help them feel better connected to friends and family.
In addition, 77 percent of Malaysians agree that they become more relaxed after returning from a vacation, 53 percent more productive and 49 percent more focused. At the same time, 40 percent mentioned that they can think more holistically.
“With the 2018 public holidays and long weekend travel calendar already planned out, this can help Malaysians to maximise their leave and go on more vacations, at least a short refresh from long weekend getaways, to enhance their personal and professional well-being,” Fiquet added.
Across the sectors, Fiquet said the survey found that those in the marketing and media-related industries are the most vacation-deprived globally, followed by those in the food and beverages and agricultural sectors.
The survey also found that Malaysian millennials, those aged from 18 to 32 years old are the most vacation deprived aged group at 71 per cent.
