Almost half of UK workers wish they could take more time off work due to the amount of stress they encounter.
This research was conducted by DFDS, a Danish ferry company which found that 42 per cent of UK workers desire more holiday to help decrease the amount of stress they experience.
It also found that three-quarters (75 per cent) of UK employees wish they could take more time off work to go on holiday, with the statutory number of holidays being 28 days, including bank holidays.
It found that 76 per cent of women and 73 per cent of men are hoping to receive more holiday. The group which desired more time off the most are the 25-34-year-olds, with 90 per cent saying they want more holiday allowance.
The majority (74 per cent) of UK workers feel the stress on a day-to-day basis, with 77 per cent of women saying this and 71 per cent of men.
It turns out the most stressed age group is the 25-34-year-olds, with 86 per cent stating this. In addition, 70 per cent of this age group said they are most likely to book holidays off to benefit their wellbeing.
It revealed that out of the UK, Belfast was the most likely city for workers to book off time to improve their wellbeing at 65 per cent.
Workers in England and Wales only receive eight bank holidays a year, the smallest amount of bank holidays awarded in any European Union (EU) country. The EU average lies at 12 days. Countries like Cyprus, Slovakia, Finland and Slovenia all have 15 days of bank holiday a year.
The next European country with the smallest amount of bank holidays is Ireland with nine days.
The TUC believes that UK workers should receive 12 days of public holidays and have been calling for such changes to be made for some time now. They support a national conversation about which dates would be most appropriate.
Ruth Nightingale, a Gestalt Psychotherapist, a school of psychology that emerged in Austria and Germany said:
The anticipation of having a break and creating some distance from daily demands can alleviate stress.
In our society, between the ages of 16 and 34 are the times when we are holding the most expectations of ourselves and others. As we grow older our needs and activities change and we are more able to stand back from the pressure that the younger adults feel.
We are simply removing ourselves from the daily demands of work and/or routine. Most of us have rules or introjects that we live by, often identified by ‘I should…’, or ‘I shouldn’t…’, or ‘I ought to…’, that can be relaxed when we are away from our work, social and familial responsibilities. We have permission to do something different.
This research was based on the opinions of 2,000 UK employees.
Darius is the editor of HRreview. He has previously worked as a finance reporter for the Daily Express. He studied his journalism masters at Press Association Training and graduated from the University of York with a degree in History.
