14/11/2005

Hundreds of millions of pounds worth of annual leave go to waste each year, according to a new report**. Britain's workforce already has the reputation for working the longest hours in Europe and now a study has revealed that we miss out on well-earned holidays too.

Nearly 6 in 10 workers have reached the end of the year and realised they still had annual leave to 'use up', according to the report by Churchill Travel Insurance. And while many booked time off at the last minute (47 percent) or rolled their allowance into the following year (26 percent), many lost out on their holidays altogether.

Those most likely to forgo days off are lawyers, sales professionals and people working in the catering and hospitality industry. People with jobs in advertising, tourism and recruitment are more fortunate and rarely miss out on their holidays.

But paradoxically, half of the 'leave-losers' believe that time off work for holidays and spending quality time with a partner or the family is very important. When asked why they hadn't booked time off earlier, nearly half the respondents (43 percent) admitted they felt guilty whenever they booked time off work. Thirty-seven percent said they had been too busy and 20 percent had simply forgotten.

Psychotherapist Christine Webber commented: "Time off work is very important. We need to stop believing that we're so indispensable at work and try to look after our minds and bodies much more. Employers often allow their staff to go without their

holidays in the mistaken belief that fewer vacations will result in more productivity.

But various experts now agree that too much work and too little leisure is counter productive, as employees tend to get sick more often and more stressed if they don't take the breaks they’re entitled to."

Despite the findings, the survey reveals that Brits want more holidays. Half the respondents believed that the standard UK annual leave allowance of 20 to 25 days is not enough, with 46 percent saying they would prefer to have 30 days' holiday a year and one in three saying they would need at least 35 days.

Mike Ketteringham, Head of Churchill Travel Insurance, said: "Britain has become a nation of workaholics and our report shows that we're not even allowing ourselves a decent amount of time off work anymore, let alone the time to plan a holiday. That's why it makes sense for busy people to take out annual travel insurance policies. That way you're ready to go on holiday should the opportunity arise, whether that’s a weekend break or a surprise fortnight in the Med."

*Based on proportion of employees who forgo their annual leave (4%), the average national salary (£22,411, source Payfinder, 2005) and average number of people in employment in the UK (28.76m, source: National Office Statistics, 2005)

**Survey conducted among 2,018 respondents by Churchill Insurance, October 2005

For more information, please contact:

Emilie Lien

Churchill Insurance

020 8285 3588

pressoffice@churchill.com