Public Servant Lifestyle

UK employees fail to take over three months of holiday over the course of their working lives, according to a new survey which reveals that nearly a third (31%) of men and one in six (16%) women feel that they are simply too busy to take all their holiday entitlement.

Missed holidays mean that nearly £4billion worth of work goes unpaid, across the country, each year.

This amounts to a three-month paid sabbatical for every worker in the country over their working life time, or one and a half days holiday per year for each employee. For men, the news is much worse, as nearly two and half days were lost by every male employee last year, compared to just one day for every female worker.

Holiday entitlement has traditionally been viewed as a core benefit with which to recruit and retain the best staff, but employees are increasingly looking for benefits that are more suited to their lifestyles.

Nearly three in ten (28%) workers would prefer to trade in some of their holiday for other benefits such as car allowance or gym membership

Half (50%) of workers surveyed would like the option of being able to buy or sell some days of holiday, in exchange for other benefits

Only one in eight (12%) workers are currently able to trade in some of their holiday entitlement for other company benefits

"This research is a real wake-up call to employers," says Gerry Callaghan, managing director of youatwork (the employee benefits division of Royal & SunAlliance) which conducted the survey.

"Clearly, many people are not able to take all of their holiday entitlement, and are looking for greater flexibility from their employers. The best businesses are already switched on to this, and are using innovative reward strategies to attract and retain the people they need in the war for talent.

"However, workers should not lose sight of the importance of holiday entitlement. Whilst most people would like some flexibility in their holiday allowance, employers should always ensure that their staff are taking at least one long break from the workplace each year.

"The consequences of working in a high pressure environment without taking a holiday to unwind are potentially damaging to both staff and businesses - employees are much more likely to suffer from burn-out and stress, and businesses are likely to suffer the costs of a depleted and unmotivated workforce."

The research shows that people in their forties lead the most hectic lifestyles, with one quarter (26%) of this age group claiming that they are too busy to take all the holiday they are entitled to. Thirty-somethings are not faring much better, as one fifth (21%) missed out on between two and five days of holiday last year.

The survey findings also show that job location can significantly impact upon an employee’s ability to take a more relaxed approach to working:

Workers in East Anglia were the worst off last year, losing an average two days of holiday, compared to an average of 1.2 days for those in the English north west

A quarter (25%) of Londoners say they are too busy to take all the holiday they are entitled to compared to one in six (17%) workers from the English east midlands

Six in ten (60%) East Anglians would like the option of being able to trade in some of their holiday for other company benefits compared to only four in ten (39%) workers in the English north east

More information available in Work Life Balance, Holidays, Destinations, United Kingdom, Incentives & Rewards