For many Americans, working without vacation time has become routine. But even when employees are on paid leave, they often find it difficult to pull the trigger and get away from work. Why the guilt?

A decision not to take vacation days can end up being one that an employee deeply regrets. Depending on their career, U.S. workers are often not compensated for unused PTO days when they change jobs. Instead of taking paid time off that was granted to them as a recruiting benefit, employees often have to give up those unused days without showing anything in return.