Idaho has been ranked No. 1 in the nation for workers forfeiting paid time off.

In a study titled “Under-Vacationed America: An Analysis of the States and Cities That Need to Take a Day,” 78 percent of Idaho workers forfeited their unused vacation days, which far exceeds the national average of 54 percent. The survey was led by GfK, a German-founded market research institute which is the fourth largest in the world. The study was conducted online between Jan. 26 to Feb. 20, 2017, and comprised data from 7,331 Americans over the age of 18 who work at least 35 hours a week and are offered PTO by their employer.

But why have Idahoans developed such a work martyr complex? The survey gives explanations of 36 to 26 percent saying they feel they have to show complete dedication to their job, 27 to 20 percent saying they feel their company does not encourage time off, and 28 to 23 percent saying they don’t want to appear replaceable to their boss.

Other top states for most forfeited paid time off, in descending order, are New Hampshire, Alaska, South Dakota and Oklahoma.

Reasons for PTO forfeiture differ from state to state. Alaskans report the high cost of a vacation as a reason, and folks in South Dakota peg a heavy workload and the pile-up of work upon their return. The report also outlines the top states for taking vacation time, and also the top and bottom major cities. Maine residents take the most time off (38 percent leave vacation time unused) closely followed by Hawaii (39 percent). Washington, D.C., uses the least vacation time while Pittsburgh uses the most.

Locally, Sandee Riggs, human resources director for the Salvation Army Kroc Center, outlined Kroc’s vacation policy and reported some figures.

“We do not track how many days are unused per year. With that being said, currently 12 percent of our employees hold more than 75 percent of their allowable accrual and 52 percent of our employees hold a 25 percent or less accrual balance, leaving 36 percent right in the middle,” she said.

All regular full and part-time employees at the Kroc Center begin accruing time based on hours worked per pay period, and can be used after six months of employment. They are able to accrue up to two years worth of hours, and upon end-of-employment they are paid for those.

Kootenai Health employees also accrue paid time off based on hours worked, and they offer a cash-out option as long as at least 40 hours are banked. They had 340 weeks of PTO cashed in in 2017.

“PTO is provided so our employees have time to be with their families, do the things they love to do, and recharge,” said Danny Klocko, executive vice president of human resources. “Ideally, we want employees using their PTO so their personal needs can be met.”

He further explained that, “Due to the nature of 24/7/365 operations, we do have staff members who feel their need for time away from work is already being met. These people may use less PTO than those with a more traditional work week. Occasionally we have staff who plan to use PTO cash out for personal needs.”

Declining to take paid time off can actually be costly: $433 million is the reported figure of direct spending potential that is lost in Idaho, based on 3.1 million unused days. Nationwide, $128 billion is lost to the economy, according to Project: Time Off. In an effort to change these figures, Project: Time Off has specified Jan. 30 as National Plan for Vacation Day. Tourism, travel and hospitality-related businesses are expected to offer promotions and specials in conjunction with the date, and social media has adopted a #PlanForVacation hashtag.