Graziadio’s Dana Sumpter Urges Americans to Prioritize Vacation in Fox News Op-Ed

Dana Sumpter, associate professor of organization theory and management at Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, is calling attention to the importance of taking time off in a new opinion piece published by Fox News.

In the article, Sumpter highlights a familiar scenario: an employee hesitating to schedule vacation due to mounting deadlines and a culture of overwork. She writes, “Each year, workers leave billions of dollars worth of paid time off (PTO) unused, effectively gifting these earned benefits back to their employers. But this isn't just about unused benefits – it's about how humans function at their best.”

Sumpter outlines how skipping vacation time impacts employee health, workplace productivity, and even company culture. “Taking vacation time allows the body and mind to repair and reset,” she explains. “While it may seem counterintuitive, research has found that taking time off actually improves workplace performance.”

Drawing on her own research, Sumpter warns of a disconnect between written leave policies and actual practice: “Results from my own research interviewing working mothers discovered a theme of resentment against companies that espoused having family-friendly workplaces with paid leave, that was then felt as deeply hypocritical when individual managers weren’t supportive of their folks taking such leave.”

She emphasizes that both employees and organizations benefit when time off is encouraged, supported, and modeled by leadership. Prioritizing vacation time can improve employee well-being, strengthen relationships, and contribute to a healthier, more productive workplace.

Read the full article here.