Many people are lifers on a job, and the prospect of being out of their job for 3 months is scary at hell to them. They feel they won’t be able to reconnect with the market. Not everyone in society is the HN crowd, switching jobs for better paying alternatives every few years.
On the other hand, even though I had prepared for 12 months in advance having “stuff” to do on day 1 of my sabbatical, I can say the prospect of waking up on day 1 and not having a job to go, can be overwhelming for many after a few weeks. After a few months, you become terrified you are being left behind in the market, even if not the case.
I try to learn from this so when retirement hits me in 20 years I can be more prepared for the required mental adjustment. I have seen my parents generation taking a toll on their health by stopping cold turkey and feeling irrelevant in society…