UK workers are not using their full holiday entitlement according to research which found a 7.7% fall in the annual leave taken between 2022 and 2023.
The research, conducted by HR software provider Access PeopleHR, found that the amount of annual leave taken fell in all 18 industry sectors included in the study.
The average employee in the UK took 33.9 days of annual leave including bank holidays last year – down from 36.7 days in 2022, and 38 days in 2020.
The report also found that 83.3% of industry sectors have seen a drop in holiday entitlement. Construction saw a 6.6% fall in how much annual leave employees could take, while health and social care recorded a 4.3% drop. Water, sewage and waste management recorded a 3.5% increase in entitlement.
The financial services sector saw a 9.1% decline in the number of annual leave days taken, even though its average holiday entitlement only reduced by 0.5%.
Many of the industries in the study including agriculture, construction and education faced labour shortages last year which could, say the authors, have influenced employees’ decision not to take leave.
Charles Butterworth, managing director at Access PeopleHR, said: “Workers across the UK are under a great deal of pressure with rising household expenses, work-related stress and personal commitments. It’s more important than ever that people take time off to rest and recharge – so that they can come back stronger.
“But taking holidays should never feel like it’s part of the job. As revealed in the report, the number of employees taking their full annual leave entitlement has declined in all industries. There could be many reasons for this, like poor planning, anxiety about falling behind, or a heavy workload. Ultimately, it’s our duty as employers to help our teams book time off, whether this is through regular reminders or implementing a simple and efficient booking system.
“Companies need to take action and investigate why employees are reluctant to take time off so that they can put strategies in place to support them. It’s also essential that companies and employers have a clear view of any requests so that they can manage them instantly.”
The study conducted by Access People analysed data from 18 industries and 3,068 companies’ employees. The data was gathered from 2020-2023.
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