Too busy to take time off so far this year? Well, you're not alone. It seems vacation deprivation is on the rise. Steve Frazer isn't going anywhere, except to work and back home again: "It's not worth it - two weeks off and you have a mountain of projects, e-mails and 12-hour days waiting for you. I can barely keep up even when I'm here," says the 39-year-old Mississauga manager.

And, he adds, he risks job security: "In this culture of downsizing, if they figure they can get along without you, then they will -- seems everyone's expendable."

All work and no play dominate the corporate landscape, say experts. Not only are some Canadians not taking their full allotted holiday time, those who do manage to take time off often can't turn off completely, reveals an Expedia.ca survey. Whether they lug their laptop to the beach or stay plugged in via voice mail and e-mail, there's a growing trend to staying in touch.

Contemporary workplace culture demands people demonstrate their dedication and devotion through longer days, longer weeks and, in some cases, cutting back on holidays, believes Dr. Alvin Rosenfeld, while others are reluctant to use their owed vacation time for fear of being replaced or passed over for promotions.

INSIDIOUS

"We're in purgatory -- we've lost all the balance and are willing to sacrifice the opportunities that add joy and spice to our lives to work non-stop," says Rosenfeld, a New York psychiatrist and author.

"It's contemporary madness -- we must work 18-hour days and take calls at all hours. It's the hallmark of being in the upper-middle class, of being successful."

There's an insidious time-management phenomenon that demands every minute be accounted for, he says, adding that this frantic, over-scheduled, pressured pace permeating the corporate climate is prevalent in parenting, too.

According to Expedia Inc. surveys, employees generally desire a more balanced lifestyle, but some are skipping holidays in order to support corporate goals.

One-third of Canadians are not taking all of their allotted days off -- they miss an average of eight vacation days per year, netting the employers almost $8 billion in unused holidays annually, reports the recent Expedia.ca/ Ipsos-Reid survey. And 36% of Canadian respondents reveal they're in contact with the office while away.

And, in the U.S., overworked Americans feel too busy to take advantage of all their paid vacation days, amounting to $21 billion in unused vacation time returned to their employers, reports Expedia.com, a U.S. online travel agency that commissioned the third annual vacation deprivation survey.

Respondents report taking 10% less vacation time this year than they did last year at this time; 20% say they feel guilty taking a vacation from work; and 12% report taking no break at all. Additionally, 70% don't feel they have a healthy balance between work and personal life.

That doesn't surprise Dr. Philip Classen. "There's a tendency towards imbalance in our culture," he says, "and stress is rampant. It affects both mental and physical health, as well as workplace productivity."

'UNHEALTHY WORK CLIMATE'

Classen, a clinical psychologist at the Institute of Family Living in Toronto, says "it's an unhealthy work climate out there; there's just not enough creative space and play in life."

The hyper-focus on work is taking its toll on health and relationships: "There's an implicit, overt message in the corporate culture -- if you're a team player, you're here at seven and stay 'til seven." And, ultimately, corporate greed burns people out, says Classen, who's also a registered marriage and family therapist. "People pay and so do their families."

According to Toronto professor Donald Goertz, "generally speaking, it's not that companies aren't making money and therefore have to downsize workforces, but it's that there is an increasing focus on profit over both product and people.

"In many cases, the time it takes to develop and bring a product to market is longer than the life span of the CEO's tenure. Add to this the competitiveness of share value and you have CEOs who sometimes lack the creativity to do anything different than attempt to increase profit by decreasing staff numbers in order to keep shareholders happy," says Goertz, professor of history and social trends at Tyndale Seminary.

But, says Classen, "profit is eventually damaged by focusing only on the bottom line -- workers suffer from stress-related illnesses, burnout and depression, and have to take leaves for extended periods of time. There's a cost in the long run for not taking care of your employees."

According to the experts, taking time off not only reduces stress, but also increases productivity and fuels creativity. Getting away from the day-to-day grind is also great preventative medicine; regular vacations are actually linked to a lowered risk of death, reports a 2000 study at State University of New York at Oswego.

Taking a break is not a luxury, nor is it frivolous behaviour, stresses Classen. "Vacations are nourishment and they're absolutely vital for a balanced, healthy life. They eliminate stress, promote relaxation and allow time to rejuvenate and get refreshed."

Adds Judith Friedman, a psychotherapist and stress expert: "Today employees are often doing the job of two or three people and are pushed beyond their limits. They are burning out. But not to take holidays doesn't help -- they can't possibly be maximally effective or productive or creative.

"Everyone needs a break, even just frequent small ones," says Friedman, who is also a registered therapist with the Ontario Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. "Burned-out people don't produce at a level consistent with their potential."