In the UK, employees are entitled to 28 days paid leave a year under the Working Time Regulations (WTR), which is more than any other country in the world. Yet, half of UK employees fail to take their full annual entitlement, despite burnout being on the rise and work-related stress reaching epidemic levels.  

Because of the post-recession guilt-culture, many employees are fearful about the security of their jobs and feel that working longer hours is the only way to get ahead and earn a promotion.  As a result, two-thirds of Britons admit to working longer hours than they did two years ago and the kicker?  As a nation, our productivity is at its lowest level since records began.  

In any job, hard work and stress are going to go hand in hand to some extent, but if we’re working longer hours, not taking our rest and relaxation time and our health and wellbeing is suffering as a result, shouldn’t employers be doing more to make sure employees down tools more often?

The bottom line is that stressed employees are bad for business.  They impact productivity, they impact their colleagues and they are also extremely costly, if signed off work for a long period to recover.  So isn’t easier if everyone just takes more time off?

 

Seriously, take a vacation!

Being committed or your job and working hard are great traits to have, but it’s often only when we step away from the coalface that we actually realise how excessively we may have been working.

I know that sometimes it feels impossible for me to get away from www.breatheHR.com, but here’s why I think it’s important to ensure you’re taking your well earned holiday time:

 

For your health

Taking time away from work gives our bodies and minds the chance to realign. It’s our opportunity to relax, away from the pressures of our day job, and to focus on other areas of our lives that also make us happy, such as friends and family.

Much like sleep helps our bodies rejuvenate, annual leave is an important part of our year and one of very few chances we get to truly forget about work.

This in turn relieves stress. We delegate tasks to our colleagues while we’re away, which means the period prior to annual leave is usually one in which we complete tasks and re-prioritise. This helps us to focus and clear our minds, bringing our levels of stress down.

 

For your productivity

When we work constantly, our bodies are prone to burn out. This is where we've worked hard for so long, we simply can't do it anymore.

Time out of the office gives you chance to relieve that stress and think about things in a most positive manner, with clarity to help you work more productively and effectively.

Encouraging your employees to use their annual leave can also reduce the number of sick days taken each year, which has a tangible impact on your bottom line.

 

For building trust

It’s important that we show our colleagues that we trust them with our work, and that we can rely on them to do a great job in our absence. Taking annual leave, especially if you’re more senior in a business, tells your colleagues that you do trust them and gives them the chance to develop professionally too.

 

For increased job satisfaction

Knowing that your employer appreciates the importance of you having some personal time makes you feel valued. It can lead to better teamwork and a boost to everyone's morale. Work is then a collaborative effort, each employee is prepared take on each other's roles to allow each of them to have their time off, knowing that this is what will be done for them too.

 

It’s your right

It’s easy to make up excuses for not taking enough holiday like your team won’t be able to cope without, or your clients need you that week or your boss will overlook you for that promotion. But, at the end of the day, leaving work behind for at least 28 days a year is your absolute right – so use it.

 

Summary

Many companies are implementing initiatives to make working life more flexible. But despite that, we’re still failing to even take our full annual leave allocation.

It's important that we lead the way in ensuring we take the holiday we deserve and that we make the most of that time. Remember; the business won't fall apart just because you've been away for a few days!