Over a fifth of the UK workforce did not use all their paid holiday allowance in 2014, according to the latest research from Canada Life Group Insurance. The findings suggest employees are being prevented from taking the time off they are entitled to.
“Despite the heightened competition to hire top talent, organisations are still failing to provide the work/life balance employees want and need. Retention of trained staff is a key concern for employers, and failing to promote an ethos of wellbeing among employees will have a negative impact on staff turnover in the long term. Individuals that don’t have adequate time off are likely to feel stressed and burnt-out, resulting in a direct hit to productivity,” Paul Avis, marketing director of Canada Life Group Insurance commented
Around one in seven blame staffing issues such as maternity leave or members of staff leaving as the reason for not taking their full holiday allowance. This is almost double the number who said the same in 2014. A worrying 5% said their organisation actually discouraged employees from taking time off, while 16% failed to plan their time adequately and ran out of opportunities to use their annual leave.
Robert joined the HRreview editorial team in October 2015. After graduating from the University of Salford in 2009 with a BA in Politics, Robert has spent several years working in print and online journalism in Manchester and London. In the past he has been part of editorial teams at Flux Magazine, Mondo*Arc Magazine and The Marine Professional.
