Apparently a third of British workers don’t. But not taking all your entitlement of annual leave could be doing more harm than you think.It’s that time of year when our thoughts might begin to start drifting off to sunny beaches and dreams of reliably warmer climes.But according to a recent YouGov report a third of workers in Britain failed to take their full holiday leave allowance last year. A variety of reasons were given, including anxiety, workloads and schedule clashes.
The survey commissioned by Wolters Kluwer also stated that if workers were taken into account who had not worked a full year, had not kept track of their leave, or did not receive any annual leave, only 59 per cent took their whole allowance.
In the UK, ‘workers’ (we are unsure how that’s defined) are entitled to 28 days off every year, including bank holidays. This is one of the lowest in Europe, where the average is 33 days.But it doesn’t mean greater productivity or more hours worked, according to the survey. Half of those surveyed had taken time off because of genuine illness, while a somewhat questionable 5 per cent admitted to taking time off because of less genuine illness.
Mike Allen of the report author Wolters Kluwer said that British businesses should “ensure that employees have a healthy work/life balance [and] feel able to take annual leave without the fear of what they may return to”.It seems that fear is a big factor, and unfortunately it gets worse. Last year a study by Bupa found that two thirds of employees are not always able to take a 20 minute lunch break, the legal minimum.At Atlantic Resource we believe that taking both short breaks during the day, and longer breaks throughout the course of a year are vitally important in remaining fresh, efficient, and sensitively tuned in to the requirements of any job. Today’s world is relentless and exhausting. From the construction site, to the office, to the kitchen, even the most capable professional risks physical and mental burnout.For some people, tuning out is a hard thing to do. ‘Always on’ technology has played a large part in making us feel responsible and reactive at all times, even when we shouldn’t, even when we should delegate that responsibility elsewhere. There are other potential issues of control freakery, and people never wanting to know everything that’s going on. This can make it harder for people to take their full entitlement of annual leave.
But these are things we should try to overcome. Workers shouldn’t feel obliged or bullied into not taking their leave allowance or a regular break. It isn’t something we should be proud about either: “I haven’t had a holiday since 1987, you know!” How sad does that sound? Try to remember what you’re working for.Regular breaks and sustained periods of annual leave are good for the body and mind. They are there for a reason and should be enforced. Make sure you take them.If you’re seeking a change in working environment, or new staff, get in touch.
