Three-Fifths Of Employees Fail To Use Up Their Annual Leave
Survey
New research conducted by Timetastic, involving 1500 respondents, has found that 61% of workers did not take all of their allotted annual leave in 2023. The number is little changed from that of 2022 (62%).
Other Findings
Other findings from the survey were:-
- Women are proportionately more likely to use up their annual leave (34%, compared to 29% for men - 2022 figures)
- 45-54-year-olds are the most likely to take all of their annual leave (45%)
- The most common reason cited for not using up all annual leave is because the employee is fully remunerated by their employer in relation to any unused annual leave they may have (15.14%, down from 18.6% in 2022)
- Less than 10% of workers felt under pressure from their employer not to take up all of their annual leave (9% Men, 6% Women), with the 25-34 age group most likely to be pressured into not doing so
- Just 12% opted to sell their annual leave despite the cost of living crisis (down 2% from 14% in 2022)
- The number of workers taking bereavement / compassionate leave (7%) increased by 11% in 2023, compared to the previous year. The number of days taken on average in relation to this was 1.6 days
- The days upon which workers most commonly take annual leave are Mondays and Fridays, so that the employee will benefit from an extended weekend.
Comment
Commenting upon the findings of the survey, the Managing Director at Timetastic, Oliver Higenbottam, stated: "If there’s one thing this data shows, it’s that employees have a way to go to make the most of their annual leave allowance. Taking a break isn’t just a “nice to have”—it’s crucial for health, well-being, and overall productivity. Workplaces must actively encourage it and make the effort to ensure their employees feel like they can take a well-deserved break."
Research Finds That Government Could Save £21.4 million A Year By Allowing A Four-Day Working Week For Civil Servants
The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union has stated that the Government could save £21.4 million per annum by allowing Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) civil servants to move onto a four-day working week, following the results of a new survey.
Survey Findings
The survey found that the alleged savings would mainly result from reduced staff turnover (down 57%) and reduced sick leave (down 65%).
As we highlighted in a previous article, the PCS is campaigning for a four-day working week for Defra civil servants.
Moreover, as we reported in another recent article, the Government has ended opposition to the four-day working week operated by South Cambridgeshire District Council.
Reaction
Commenting upon the findings of its survey, the general secretary at the PCS, Fran Heathcote, stated: "We’ve long argued the social, practical and professional benefits of a four-day week, now this research shows the financial benefits too. It also suggests that any opposition to employees working a four-day week is purely ideological. Why else would an employer stand in the way of progress?"
Heathcote added: "Our members are resolute in their belief that a four-day week is critical to attaining a good quality of life, improving their health and wellbeing and helping them to meet caring responsibilities, while all the time increasing their productivity."
Civil servants at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government are also campaigning for a four-day working week.
Nevertheless, a spokesperson for the prime minister, Keir Starmer, has confirmed that the prime minister is against a four-day working week in this instance. The spokesperson stated: "it’s not something we support. The civil service is working to deliver for working people day in, day out."
The pensions minister, Emma Reynolds, added: "I see the benefit for those who want to have the flexibility to be able to work part time. I'm a mum of two young children. And you know, sometimes I wish that I worked part time. But I don't think as a whole that civil servants as a general rule should work four days rather than five......[Civil servants] wont get [a four-day working week].....because we are not living in the 1970s."
