Workers Are Reluctant to Take Their Holidays – Pictons Advises Employers to Ensure Staff Take Their Full Annual Leave

A survey from YouGov has revealed a worrying trend – that almost a third of the British work force did not take their full holiday entitlement in 2014.

Although by law UK employees are entitled to 28 days leave a year, pro rata for part time staff, 14% of people questioned in this survey said they did not take any time off at all, 56% took less than a week of their annual paid leave and only 16% had taken more than 21 days.

Peggy Barnard, a solicitor specialising in Employment Law at Pictons says “These statistics are concerning given the importance of taking leave for employee well-being. Working too long and too hard without a break can be detrimental to the health and well-being of staff, and ultimately the business.”

A variety of reasons were given for employees not taking leave which ranged from workloads being too heavy, employers being short-staffed, employees feeling anxious to take leave, or employees simply not being able to take time off at their preferred time.

Peggy concludes “The purpose of the legislation that states employees are entitled to 28 days per leave is to protect the health and safety of workers in the UK. We therefore actively encourage our employer clients to have open and regular conversations with their employees about taking their holiday, and recommend that employers should work hard to remove any obstacles that may prevent their staff from taking their full annual leave entitlement. This is in both the employer’s and the employee’s best interests in the long run.”

If you as an employee or employer need help understanding holiday entitlement law then please contact Peggy Barnard on 0845 263 7505* or email info@pictons.co.uk
*local rates apply, mobiles may vary