New research from Avios has found that more than a quarter of all British workers expect to forgo at least one day of their holiday allowance in 2015, while 15% said they expected to give up three days or more.
The company said this is an ongoing trend, with the research revealing that 34 million days of holiday were wasted last year.
The main reasons survey respondents gave for not taking their holiday were guilt (30%), stress (26%), and money (21%);
Londoners are the most likely not to use their holiday (30%) and also the most likely to cancel their holiday once it’s booked – nearly a third (31%) of workers said they’ve had to do this in the past compared with a UK average of 22%.
A fifth of those cancelled their holiday because they were too stressed or busy, 14% were made to cancel by their bosses and 10% said they didn’t want to burden others with the extra workload.
According to the research, cancelling holiday can have a significant effect on personal relationships, with 29% claiming the person they were going away with was very upset with them and 12% saying this person refused to go on holiday with them again.
Commenting on the findings, family psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos said: “It’s important to ensure we’re spending enough quality time with our loved ones – indeed, cancelling holiday because of work pressures doesn’t just ruin your relaxation time but can take away from that all important family and relaxation time that allows you to de-stress and reconnect with those around you. That’s why it’s important to encourage people to do more with their family and friends. Just taking one day off can make a big difference.
“Trying a new experience on our doorsteps or going away for a long weekend leaves us feeling refreshed and more motivated to achieve our goals when we return to work. Increasingly there seems to be a sort of competitive workaholism where people feel the need to prove that they are more productive the longer they spend at work. The fact is, that productivity is related much more with our sense of wellbeing so forgoing holiday time certainly doesn’t help. Businesses need to start making better provisions so people aren’t left feeling guilty for taking much deserved time off. ”
Meanwhile, the research also highlights that those who take time off don’t always use it as an opportunity to fully relax, with workers increasingly replacing ‘switching off’ with ‘switching on’. A whopping 89% check their email at least once every few days while they’re away and over half (59%) of workers admit they sometimes or always work while they’re on holiday, rising to two thirds (66%) in London.
Dr Linda Papadopoulos concludes: “People need to ensure time off is truly that. There are many ways to ensure holidays are relaxing but one of the easiest things to do is to take a break from our mobile phones or introduce a work email ban.”
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