'Nice job! Now get outta town.'

As Darren Press and his family join the throngs at Disney World this week, touring the Magic Kingdom and perhaps shaking hands with Mickey Mouse, Mr. Press will be savoring a long-postponed pleasure - his first vacation in six years.

"We decided now might be a good time to do Disney," says Press, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., the father of two young children. "Plus, I needed a break. Enough's enough. It's time to have some fun."

In an age when surveys show that many Americans routinely forgo some or all of their allotted vacation, either by choice or necessity, Press's "enough's enough" attitude offers a gleam of hope to employment specialists. Some see signs that a pervasive all-work-and-no-play mentality may be shifting.

"Major corporations are recognizing that vacation time is intrinsic to the mental and physical well-being of their employees," says Penny Morey, managing director of Human Capital Services at CBIZ, Inc., a recruiting firm in Boca Raton, Fla. "They are encouraging employees to take the allotted time. Some smaller companies are increasing their vacation allotment so they can attract the best talent."

In a new survey by TrueCareers, 80 percent of respondents say their employers encourage them to take time off. In 2004, less than half felt that way.

Workplace observers trace part of the shift to a stronger economy. As employees become less fearful of losing their jobs, they are more willing to take time off. Some also want more vacation.

"More and more recruiting ads are touting 'generous' vacation policies, a sign that companies are emphasizing time away from work to attract new workers," says John Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray and Christmas, a Chicago outplacement firm.

Younger employees are also changing the vacation culture. "Young people want to have more balanced lives," says Joanne Ciulla, a business professor at the University of Richmond in Virginia. "They see how their parents are living and other people are living, and they don't want that."

Unlike baby boomers, who tend to minimize the amount of time they take off, Ms. Morey says, Generation Xers are "looking for a company that offers them a quality of life, and that includes vacations and flexible time. Their voice is being heard. That's the talent of the future." She thinks Generation Y will have even greater expectations.

Press's many years with no time off began when the advertising agency where he previously worked announced a downsizing. Without a salary, he could not afford a vacation. Then when he started his own agency, May Sky Inc., he says, "I never had enough time."

Even when workers have time and feel comfortable about going away, they sometimes face another anxiety: coming back.

"I'm bracing myself for the onslaught when I return," Press says.

Laura Stack, author of the new book, "Find More Time," hears similar comments. "People say, 'Oh, gosh, it's just not worth it to go away, because when I get back I've got 300 e-mails and papers all over my desk, and I can't catch up.' "

Even so, Ms. Stack is encouraged by small signs of progress. "I have seen people become more willing to close the proverbial office door and truly take a psychological break by getting away. It's pretty new."

E-mail and voice-mail messages echo that determination. When employees do go on vacation, Stack says, they are more willing to note that they can't be reached. "People come right out and say, 'I will not have access to e-mail during this time.' "

Not everyone is able to leave electronic connections behind, of course. Press, for one, made it a point to rent a house in Orlando this week with wireless Internet access. He says his wife hopes they won't face a moment where "the kids are ready to get on Pirates of the Caribbean and there's Daddy stepping out of line to answer a phone call."

Another convert to regular vacations is Rob Waite of Louisville, Ky. For many years he worried that if he took all of his vacation, it would give the impression that he wasn't dedicated to his job.

Then 15 years ago, his wife told him, "We give you 50 weeks, the least you can do is give us two weeks." That made an impression. Since then the family has spent two weeks every summer at the same beachfront resort.

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