As a manager, or employee, of a business, the importance of regular breaks from work is essential.

However, a recent study has shown that nearly half of staff (43%) did not even take one full week’s holiday last year.   Most staff were found to have as many as 5 days’ leave remaining (unused).

 Why is it important to take holiday?

Apart from the obvious benefit of time to relax and refresh, staff who do not take adequate breaks from work at risk of stress-related absenteeism, burnout, poor health, lower productivity, and physical symptoms.

 How can you encourage staff to take holiday?

Having a culture where holiday is encouraged, and prioritised is important. In companies where employees are worried about taking leave due to increased workload on their return, falling behind on duties, or missing important updates can make staff reluctant to book leave. In addition, some staff may not want to take leave due to other issues, for example problems at home, domestic violence, or mental ill health.

Identifying those who do not regularly book leave, or who are concerned about doing so, is vitally important.  Have a conversation with them to understand the reasons why, and identify solutions to any concerns can ensure that these are overcome.

 How much leave do staff get?

The legal minimum in the UK is 5.6 weeks per year. This is made up of 28 days (20 days plus 8 bank holidays). This amount is pro-rata’d for part timers, but should still equate to 5.6 weeks at their part time hours.

 Can you make staff take holiday, or restrict when they take it?

Yes you can.  You can give staff notice to use their annual leave, however this must be twice as much notice, as leave.  For example, if somebody is required to book 1 week off, they would need to be given 2 weeks’ notice of this.

Your business can also specify when leave can, or cannot, be taken. I.e. many companies have a festive shut down, where staff use annual leave.  Or you might restrict leave in your busier months (July and August for example).  As long as you allow sufficient time for staff to take their leave within the year, you can impose company rules. However, you must make sure these are fairly applied across all staff, and are not discriminatory. Other types of rules you may have might be the number of staff who can be off at any one time.

 

If you need any support with any aspect of annual leave, including policies, pro-rata’ing entitlement, or allocation, please contact us on team@hrprime.co.uk.