South Korean bosses are among the stingiest when it comes to allowing their employees time off, travel firm Expedia's 2014 Vacation Deprivation Study found.
The online study analyzed the vacation habits of 7,855 employed adults across 24 countries in Asia Pacific, Europe, North America and South America.
Only 31 percent of South Korean respondents, who typically use only seven of their 15 annual leave days, said their bosses are supportive of workers using their full holiday allotment.
French bosses received the second lowest ranking; only 28 percent of responds said their bosses were supportive of time off work, despite the French receiving one of the highest annual leave allotments – 30 days – which all respondents used entirely.
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Good times for Norwegians
Norwegian bosses scored the highest in this category; 82 percent of respondents said their managers backed their requests to take vacation. Workers in Norway typically take all of their allotted 25 days.
The Expedia survey, which is now in its 14th year, reiterated last year's findings, in that Europeans typically enjoy approximately double the amount of vacation their Asia Pacific and North American counterparts do.
Europeans have a median annual vacation allotment of 28 days, while workers in the U.S. have an average of 15, and those in Asia-Pacific are offered 19.
Workers in the United Arab Emirates enjoyed the most generous vacation allowance at 30 days, all of which they use, Expedia noted.
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However, workers in this region were also found to be the most work obsessed while on vacation. 44 percent admitted to checking work email or voicemail once a day. Ironically, they also scored the highest ranking for feeling "very or somewhat vacation deprived" at 73 percent.
Thai workers suffer the lowest vacation allowance at 11 days, but given that they typically take 10 of those, South Koreans are the real losers.
More vacation for Americans
U.S. respondents are using more of their allocated time off this year, taking an average of 14 days out of 15, up from 12 out of 14 in 2013, the survey found. 54 percent of U.S. respondents said they felt "very or somewhat" vacation deprived, however.
The most popular excuse for not using available vacation days is "work schedule does not allow for it" (19 percent), followed by a desire to "bank them/carry over to next year" (18 percent), "lack of money" (18 percent) and "difficulty coordinating time" (16 percent.)
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Surveys have found that employees who use more vacation days end up with better performance reviews, according to audit firm EY (formerly Ernst & Young). It also found that vacations helped slow employee turnover.
"Somewhere between 80 and 90 percent of people worldwide say that vacations make them feel happier, better rested, closer to their family, less stressed, and more relaxed," said John Morrey, vice president and general manager of Expedia.com.
"These are all emotions that correlate to a productive employee. So it's almost paradoxical: spend more time away from work, and you might just be a better performing employee," he added.