Qlik Technologies, a software maker in Radnor, was the subject of a recent feature in the Wall Street Journal about companies that have begun offering workers paid days off to spend on themselves.

This growing trend of “Me Time” does not count against an employee’s allotment of vacation, sick, or personal days.

Qlik touts “24-For-U,” a day dedicated to learning and self-improvement, writes Rachel Feintzeig of the Journal. One employee of the company spent time studying documentary film; another plans to learn about running a Christmas tree farm.

Qlik’s human-resources chief, Diane Adams, expects the benefit, introduced in March, to show potential hires “we care about the whole person.”

“People will give up some pay to work at a place where they thrive,” she told Feintzeig.

Some workers need the extra push to take time off. While Americans get an average 21 paid vacation days a year, they forfeit an average of 4.9 of them, according to a 2014 report from the U.S. Travel Association.

At the LinkedIn Corp., employees get monthly meeting-free “InDays” to hang out or go on company outings.

At Waterford Research Institute LLC, a nonprofit group focused on education, staff members get twice-a-year “Ferris Bueller” days, named for the 1986 Matthew Broderick movie about students who skip school to spend an antic day in Chicago.

Bosses say stressed employees need guilt-free time away from the hustle and bustle of work. Some believe that employees who take time to expand their horizons beyond the office come up with better ideas and spur innovation.

Click here to read more about how Qlik Technologies and other companies use “Me Time” in the Wall Street Journal.

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