LONDON, Aug. 8, 2024
/PRNewswire/ --
Key findings:
- Only 1/3 of UK workers make full use of their
Annual Leave Allowance.
- 17% of respondents had 5 or more unused days.
- 26% of those surveyed were worried that taking
their holiday would reflect badly on them.
- Staff shortages were overwhelmingly the biggest contributing
factor to unclaimed holiday.
Two thirds of workers in the UK (65%) aren't using their full
Annual Leave allowance according to the findings of a survey
conducted by Breathe, the UK's leading HR platform for SMEs.
The survey results, which showed that only 35% are making use of
their full holiday allowance, with almost 1/5 of workers (17%)
having 5 or more unused holiday days per year on average.
Top reasons for workers failing to take their full holiday
include a desire to "reclaim" or sell back holiday (33%) and
companies not encouraging time off (14%).
The biggest reason as to why employees are not taking holiday,
however, was staff shortages – a contributing factor for 41% of
respondents.
These latest results echo a growing body of research suggesting
that workers are more stretched, more anxious about job security
and less likely to take time off since the pandemic – with 26% of
respondents worried that taking holiday will reflect badly on their
performance.
The Breathe survey also found that 81% of respondents either
agree or strongly agree that they notice increasing feelings of
burnout, exhaustion, or poor mental health when they can't take
time off work.
When asked to compare the amount of holiday they take now with
the amount they took five years ago, 32% reported that they take
less holiday now due to worries around job security.
Career mobility can be another factor, with half (50%) of
respondents who took less holiday than five years ago citing that
more responsibility in their current role makes taking time off
more difficult.
Younger workers most impacted, despite the stereotype
"Gen Z" workers, often maligned in the workplace for
operating with strict boundaries around their personal time, are
surprisingly the most impacted group when it comes to unused
holiday.
A huge 48% of under 34s have three days or more of unused annual
leave, rising to 52% among under 24s (with 20% leaving five or more
days unclaimed).
Staff shortages are, once again, the biggest issue for this age
group, with 36% citing it as a reason they don't take their full
holiday allowance. They're also worried about holiday time
reflecting badly on their performance and productivity, and 28%
state that they're simply too busy.
25-34 year olds are also the most likely age group to be
suffering the effects of burnout. 46% in this age group strongly
agreed that missing out on time off affects their mental health,
with 31% saying that they're more likely to take sick or unpaid
leave days when they've used up their allowance.
Gareth Burrows, Managing Director
at Breathe, commented: "The trend towards employees not taking
their full annual leave entitlement is concerning and something
that we know HR leaders will be watching closely.
"With burnout and mental health issues on the rise it's crucial
for businesses leaders to monitor stress levels within their teams
and foster a culture where employees feel safe and supported in
taking their full annual leave allocation."
- Breathe surveyed 1,000 working adults aged 18-65 in the UK
between 25th and 26th July 2024. The survey was carried out via
Pollfish.
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