Key findings: 

• Only 1/3 of UK workers make full use of their Annual Leave Allowance 

• 17% of respondents had 5 or more unused days. 

• 26% of those surveyed were worried that taking their holiday would reflect badly on them. 

• Staff shortages were overwhelmingly the biggest contributing factor to unclaimed holiday 

Two thirds of workers in the UK (65%) aren’t using their full Annual Leave allowance according to the findings of a survey.*

The survey results, which showed that only 35% are making use of their full holiday allowance, with almost 1/5 of workers (17%) having 5 or more unused holiday days per year on average. 

Top reasons for workers failing to take their full holiday include a desire to ‘reclaim’ or sell back holiday (33%) and companies not encouraging time off (14%).  

The biggest reason as to why employees are not taking holiday, however, was staff shortages – a contributing factor for 41% of respondents. 

These latest results echo a growing body of research suggesting that workers are more stretched, more anxious about job security and less likely to take time off since the pandemic – with 26% of respondents worried that taking holiday will reflect badly on their performance. 

The Breathe survey also found that 81% of respondents either agree or strongly agree that they notice increasing feelings of burnout, exhaustion, or poor mental health when they can’t take time off work.  

When asked to compare the amount of holiday they take now with the amount they took five years ago, 32% reported that they take less holiday now due to worries around job security.  

Career mobility can be another factor, with half (50%) of respondents who took less holiday than five years ago citing that more responsibility in their current role makes taking time off more difficult. 

Younger workers most impacted, despite the stereotype 

‘Gen Z’ workers, often maligned in the workplace for operating with strict boundaries around their personal time, are surprisingly the most impacted group when it comes to unused holiday. 

A huge 48% of under 34’s have three days or more of unused annual leave, rising to 52% among under 24’s (with 20% leaving five or more days unclaimed). 

Staff shortages are, once again, the biggest issue for this age group, with 36% citing it as a reason they don’t take their full holiday allowance. They’re also worried about holiday time reflecting badly on their performance and productivity, and 28% state that they’re simply too busy. 

25-34 year olds are also the most likely age group to be suffering the effects of burnout. 46% in this age group strongly agreed that missing out on time off affects their mental health, with 31% saying that they’re more likely to take sick or unpaid leave days when they’ve used up their allowance. 

Gareth Burrows, Managing Director at Breathe commented “The trend towards employees not taking their full annual leave entitlement is concerning and something that we know HR leaders will be watching closely.  

With burnout and mental health issues on the rise it’s crucial for businesses leaders to monitor possible burnout levels among staff, as well as creating a culture where employees feel safe and supported in taking their full annual leave allocation.” 

*Conducted by Breathe –  1,000 working adults aged 18-65 in the UK between 25th and 26th July 2024. The survey was carried out via Pollfish.