A string of companies and government employers have considered implementing seemingly worker-friendly time-off policies. @molly_lipson (she/her) explains if these "leave" policies are really helpful at all. businessinsider.com/time-off-vacat…

The roots of our overworked and burned-out culture stretches back decades. Over the 20th century, the workforce shifted from labor-intensive factory work to office-based white-collar work. businessinsider.com/time-off-vacat…

But as @Insider's @Aki Ito explained, something flipped in the 1980s when "hustle culture" — valuing the appearance of working longer and harder — took over the workplace. businessinsider.com/hustle-culture…

This creeping invasion of work into our personal time has only worsened as technology improved, Lipson says. The internet and ever-present devices ramp up the pressure for employees to continue working while at home or on the move. businessinsider.com/time-off-vacat…

Employers have put on a friendlier face when it comes to time off in recent years, trying to attract workers with more generous policies, but in many cases these promises are just for show, Lipson writes. businessinsider.com/time-off-vacat…

Many companies don't adjust their expectations based on their new leave policies. Abigail Marks (@Abigail Marks), a professor at @NCL Business School who focuses on the future of work, explained this tension in relation to the four-day workweek. businessinsider.com/time-off-vacat…

But companies that have implemented policies like the four-day workweek still expect the same amount of work done. Studies have shown that the pile of work that people return to quickly ramps up the stress and dashes any benefit from the time off. businessinsider.com/time-off-vacat…

Giving workers a break requires adjusting their workload. It doesn't make sense to offer employees 30 days of leave a year without adjusting their workload by 30 days' worth of work, Lipson says. businessinsider.com/time-off-vacat…

Without companies addressing their culture around taking time off, workers often get punished for trying to manage their well-being. In many cases, that results in employees simply hiding their problems, Lipson writes. businessinsider.com/time-off-vacat…

The reality is that employees often feel unable to use their time off appropriately, are refused it, or find out the hard way that the work itself is too stressful to allow for restful time away from their desks. businessinsider.com/time-off-vacat…

This kind of treatment shouldn't be exceptional. Taking time off isn't slacking off or proof that an employee lacks work ethic — it's a sign of a healthy work-life balance. businessinsider.com/time-off-vacat…

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