Why you NEED to make sure you’re taking your holiday allowance

A recent survey has discovered that only 40 per cent of workers are taking all of their annual leave, with 37 per centof us missing out on between one and six paid days off every year.

Men and those aged 35-44 are the main culprits, losing 8 days per year on average compared to 6.5 for women. The results indicate that as we get older, we are more likely to take all of our holiday allowances - with 55+ year-olds losing 6 days compared to 16 to 24-year-olds who miss out on 7.4 days.

The picture is not much brighter for the self-employed either, with almost a quarter (24%) admitting to rarely taking time off as they simply can’t afford to. Over a third (36%) allocate unpaid time off while just over 2 in 10 (22%) work extra hours so that they can have leave from work.

And it’s not just holiday leave that workers are missing out on - 77% are putting in extra work time every day, too. Over a third (34%) admit to working an additional 30 to 60 minutes per day.

The path isn't always smooth sailing for those lucky enough to use all their annual leave allowance, either. Over a quarter (27%) admit to logging into their emails while they’re off, nearly one in five (19%) let colleagues know they are contactable while away, and 15% confess to jumping in to do work while officially off.

Oliver Rayner, managing director of Caspian Insurance who commissioned the survey, said: “While not everyone can afford to go away, booking time off to be with family, to relax at home or even to do all those jobs around the house is not only a great use of your time, it’s important to take your allowance of paid days off or risk losing them.”

He continued: “Protecting what is rightfully yours, such as paid annual leave, not only impacts you, but your lifestyle and that of your loved ones too.”

A separate survey carried out by Just Eat for Business found that a majority (60%) of employees feel their boss explicitly discourages them from taking time off, while 1 in 10 feels unable to ask for mental health leave.

Furthermore, 1 in 5 office workers are being prevented from taking time off work due to staff shortages and reduced resources – meaning their requests are regularly denied.

So what are the effects of working long hours without taking sufficient holiday breaks?

Melissa Compton-Edwards, author of a report, Married to the Job, has a warning for employers who don’t insist on a healthy work/life balance for their employees:

“What should not be overlooked is that excessive hours can have a negative effect on job performance and cause costly or reputation-damaging mistakes. Fatigue-related accidents are potentially life-threatening. Employers need to ensure that they do everything in their power to improve productivity through efficiency improvements rather than by overloading their staff.”

It’s not good news for your home life either: “While working long hours doesn’t necessarily lead to marriage breakdown, it can put a strain on relationships with partners, children and friends,” Melissa says.

It’s a view supported by Simon Briault of the Federation of Small Businesses. He told the BBC: “It is important for employees to take the time off they are entitled to. Everybody needs a break to relax and unwind.”“In the long run, it will be beneficial for the employee and the employer alike,” continues Simon, “because it helps to reduce ill-health and absenteeism.”

Executive coach Anni Townend, also says it’s important to take time off - even if you don't have anything planned.

“Annual leave is an important part of a much bigger picture of looking after our life-work balance and of creating a positive work culture,” she says.

“Increasingly people are realising that there’s huge value in taking micro-breaks during the day as part of managing employee wellbeing, as well as longer macro-breaks like annual leave.

“The danger of not doing so is that we lose our ability to switch-off and to disconnect from work. This can impact our sleep patterns and our ability to concentrate, as well as cause extreme mood swings and a weakened immune system.”