Seventy-six per cent of workers say they would use more of their available paid time off (PTO) if AI could reliably help them catch up on work after returning, according to a new study.
The findings, part of Zoom’s Out of Office Index, highlight how concerns about returning to accumulated workloads are influencing employees’ approach to taking leave. While time off is generally associated with employee wellbeing, the study suggests that the prospect of returning to a backlog of emails, decisions and tasks can itself become a source of workplace stress.
The research found that 61 per cent of workers dread the amount of work waiting for them after PTO, while 48 per cent experience anxiety even before their leave begins. More than half, or 57 per cent, said they had left some available PTO unused during the past year, while 42 per cent had considered skipping time off because of work-related stress.
The concern extends into employees’ time away from work. Around 68 per cent said they would rather monitor their inbox while on holiday than return to hundreds of unread messages, indicating the extent to which the expected post-leave workload can make it difficult for employees to fully disconnect.
The return-to-work period can also take several days. Seventy-seven per cent of respondents said unread emails and messages create stress after returning from leave, while 88 per cent require at least a full day to recover from their absence. More than half, or 53 per cent, said they need three or more days before feeling fully caught up.
Employees are also spending additional time working before they go on leave. Around 65 per cent said they put in extra hours before taking PTO to stay ahead of their responsibilities and minimise disruption during their absence.
The anxiety appears particularly pronounced among younger employees and managers. Among Gen Z respondents, 52 per cent said they feel anxious before taking PTO and the same proportion have considered not taking leave because of work-related stress. Sixty-five per cent said they had left some PTO unused during the past year.
Managers reported higher levels of anxiety than individual contributors in the survey. Fifty-three per cent of managers said they experience anxiety before taking time off, compared with 36 per cent of individual contributors. Seventy per cent said they work additional hours before going on leave, while 60 per cent reported leaving some PTO unused.
Against this backdrop, employees showed strong interest in using AI to reduce the administrative burden associated with returning to work. Eighty-two per cent said they want AI-generated summaries of what they missed, while 80 per cent want automated recaps of decisions made during their absence. Another 79 per cent said they want AI-generated task lists for their first day back.
The study also found that 78 per cent of workers would be more likely to fully disconnect from work if AI could reliably help them catch up, while 69 per cent believe AI tools could improve their work-life balance.
The findings point to a shift in how employees view AI at work. Beyond automating tasks or improving productivity, workers are increasingly looking at AI as a way to manage the continuity gap created when they step away from work.
Employee absence can also affect wider team productivity. According to the study, 71 per cent of workers experience work delays when a colleague is away, while 75 per cent said work linked to a key teammate stalls for at least a day. Sixty-five per cent reported collaboration challenges and 60 per cent experienced operational inefficiencies when a colleague was absent.
Among IT decision-makers surveyed, 76 per cent said they plan to invest in productivity and work-continuity technologies over the next 12 months, indicating that organisations are also looking at technology to manage the impact of employee absence.
For employers, the findings raise a broader question around whether employees are genuinely able to disconnect when they take leave. If the expectation of returning to a large backlog is discouraging employees from using their PTO, AI-enabled continuity tools could become one way of reducing that friction, while workplace practices around workload planning, delegation and manager support remain important to ensuring employees can take meaningful time away from work.
