By Mary Ellen Podmolik
| Those co-workers in the cubicles next to you need a vacation as
much as you do, and they’re going to take it.

Some 56 percent of workers say they need a vacation more this year than
they did in previous years and they plan to be away from the office
longer this time, according to a new survey conducted of more than 4,800
workers and 2,700 companies for CareerBuilder.

According to this year’s annual poll, 36 percent said they feel more comfortable taking a vacation this year than in 2009, crediting an improving economy, and nearly one-quarter of employees plan to take a week off this year, up from 19 percent of survey respondents last year. Twelve percent will be away from the office two weeks or more.

Getting away does not mean being unplugged, however. Nearly half of bosses say they expect their employees to check in with the office from vacation, particularly if they’re working on a big project.

Not everyone is getting away from the grind. The survey also found that about one-third of workers say they won’t take a vacation this year, and 21 percent of those employees say they still can’t afford it.