A new study from holiday specialists AirTours has revealed that Brits aren’t using up their holiday entitlements. Last year saw that on average, British workers are losing out on five days of their holidays.

The survey found that 40% of workers are not using up their full holiday allowances. One in six even said that they had more than a full working week left. While some places will let you carry over your allowance, this can mean losing out on these days altogether in some companies.

Why aren’t people using up their holidays?

So why are so many people not using their allowances? 25% of those surveyed said that they didn’t need or want to take the full holiday entitlement off.

How things are at work plays a part here with 36% saying that they had too much work to do to take time off. 26% said they were restricted from taking holidays off at the same time as colleagues which can make it trickier to book and plan trips away.

If any of the above reasons apply in your business, then it might be worth rethinking company policy or becoming a bit more flexible.

What are people using their holiday time for?

Even when people take much needed breaks, they spend less than half of the time relaxing. 56% admitted that they had spent part of their time off doing housework rather than having fun.

32% said that they used their time off for medical appointments and 17% for unexpected family emergencies.

After the above reasons, the top ways Brits use up their annual leave besides holidays are as follows:

• Relaxing at home
• DIY or home improvements
• Gardening
• Shopping
• Studying
• Socialising

Commercial manager at AirTours, Stewart Davies said: “We can’t believe that so many hard working Brits are missing out on their annual leave; it’s one of the best bits of the year! With work pressures and hectic daily routines, we all know how much they deserve a break from it all.

“So with 2017 in full swing now, and a whole new year of holiday days to take, we’re getting behind our fellow Brits and encouraging them to take some well-earned time off. And, if they choose to enjoy some time chilling out on a beach in the sun, well, who could blame them?”

Have you got a similar problem in your workplace? Do your employees feel free to take holidays or are they hesitant? Please share your thoughts.

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About The Author

Kara Copple

An experienced business and finance writer, sometimes moonlighting as a fiction writer and blogger.

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