Boost Productivity in 2025 by Encouraging Restorative PTO: A Guide for HR Leaders

Learn how strategic use of paid time off (PTO) can drive productivity, reduce burnout, and improve employee wellbeing. This guide shows HR leaders how to design culture, policy, and planning interventions that ensure PTO is restful—and business impact positive.

by Alfonsina on Aug 19, 2025 03:09:27

Key Takeaways:

• Restful PTO is as critical to productivity as hustle
• Most employees use less than 40% of PTO for real rest
• Culture, policy, and planning all influence effective PTO usage
• Data-driven staffing helps support PTO without operational risk
• ServiceHub helps HR teams build PTO ecosystems that boost wellbeing and performance

Reimagining Productivity: Why Rest Matters As Much As Hustle

When we talk about productivity, we often imagine nonstop busyness. But true productivity hinges on balance—work and rest. Without restorative time off, even the busiest teams can face burnout, reduced creativity, and declining engagement.

Surprisingly, many employees don’t take PTO in a way that fuels actual recovery. That’s where HR needs to step in—with culture, policies, and planning that turn rest into a strategic asset.

Benchmarking PTO Use: What the Data Reveals

In most organizations, the median number of paid time-off days is around 22 per year, with little variation across industries. Yet fewer than 40% of those days are used for genuine relaxation. The rest often go to errands, caregiving, or simply go unused entirely.

The result? A staggering 79% of workers report burnout—despite having allotted PTO. That gap between allowance and effective use isn’t just unfortunate—it’s costly.

Common Barriers to Restorative PTO

Even generous PTO policies fail if employees can’t unplug properly:

• Job insecurity that discourages people from stepping back
• Unsupportive supervisors or unclear approval norms
• Understaffed teams making time off disruptive
• Caretaking responsibilities draining PTO on non-rest tasks
• Stockpiling PTO for financial benefits rather than rest

Addressing these barriers is essential to turning PTO into a real productivity enhancer—not a missed opportunity.

How HR Can Enable Restful Time Off: Culture, Policy & Planning

Culture That Values Downtime

Promote and model healthy time-off habits. When senior leaders take and celebrate using PTO, employees feel permission rooted in precedent. Consistent company messaging from HR about rest reinforces this tone, ensuring rest isn’t just allowed—it’s encouraged.

Policy That Enables Rest, Not Just Hours

Even with unlimited PTO, ambiguity around usage can create stress. Clarity in guidelines—who approves, what qualifies as valid rest, and how to request leave—is key. Use engagement surveys or focus groups to uncover hidden frustrations and rethink policies that fail employees.

Planning That Maintains Coverage and Rest

HR strategy must anticipate leave. Staff wisely to cover absences, and adopt knowledge-sharing practices like documentation, cross-training, and role backups. Use PTO usage trends and workforce analytics to proactively adjust staffing and avoid disruption.

Final Thoughts: PTO Isn’t Just a Benefit—It’s a Strategic Productivity Tool

How ServiceHub Helps You Build High-Performance PTO Programs

• Design culture campaigns that normalize rest
• Develop clear, fair PTO policies
• Set up analytics dashboards to monitor leave usage
• Train teams on knowledge management and staffing strategies