The Bulletin June 12, 2025
The rundown: With labor market uncertainty, jobs rewarding employees for "going the extra mile" and competing responsibilities inside and outside the workplace, a growing number of Americans are suffering from what experts refer to as "time poverty." Learn more about what it means.
Why it matters: The term has been increasingly adopted by psychologists to denote the chronic imbalance between the time a person needs and that which their work life allows them. A new survey by wellness firm Wondr Health revealed the extent of the issue, finding that the majority (62 percent) of U.S. workers do not take their allotted time off because of the internalized pressures of work and let about one-third of their annual vacation days go unspent.
Read more in-depth coverage:
Trump-Era Economic Shifts Driving Up U.S. Worker Stress Levels
TL/DR: "No one is harder on most of us than ourselves and it leads to time poverty, a condition where we simply do not have enough time for a meaningful work-life balance," said Dr. Tim Church, chief medical officer at Wondr Health.
What happens now? Experts pointed to the need for allotted "mental health days," as well as the willingness of businesses to invest in employee wellness programs and foster open communication with their workforces.
Deeper reading Americans Are Suffering From 'Time Poverty'
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