Too many people seem content to leave vacation time on the table. As the Wall Street Journal points out, some employers are combatting this with vacation incentives. But you don't need to wait for your employer to offer one to give yourself incentive to go.
The gist of the vacation incentive is simple: certain (fairly generous) employers offer their employees a cash sum to take their vacation time. Evernote, for example, offers $1,000 to employees who use their time instead of leaving it on the table. If your employer doesn't offer one (and they probably don't) give yourself your own.
One option is to set up a vacation fund whether you plan on taking it or not. Add to a $1,000 vacation fund over a year. Alternatively, you can fill this fund with money outside your budget, like a tax return. Then, give yourself an ultimatum: either take a vacation, or donate the money to charity.
Obviously this depends on your level of self-control, but the growing number of people avoiding vacation is its own problem. Remember, vacation days are a benefit your company pays you for. Free money without working. Not using it is akin to throwing cash away (and at least with this alternative method, you're giving money to someone who needs it).
Of course, the WSJ points out one reason that you may not want to give yourself this kind of policy: avoiding vacations helps your career with some managers. According to an Oxford Economics survey, 13% of managers are less likely to promote employees who take their vacation time. This is as unfortunate as it is dangerous. In other words: sometimes you're not wrong. Working yourself to death can help get you that promotion. The only problem is the whole "death" part. So, which is worth more to you?
Companies Deal With Employees Who Refuse to Take Time Off by Requiring Vacations, Paying Them to Go | WSJ via HBR
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