In a poll of over 2,000 UK adults, commissioned by Breathe HR, two-thirds (66%) of workers said they typically take less than half their holiday by halfway through the year (2nd July). 1 in 3 (33%) take less than a quarter of their leave by the 2nd July annually.

This is having an impact on employee wellbeing. The data shows that workers who holiday hoard are at risk of sickness and burnout. Of the ‘holiday hoarders’ taking less than half their holiday by 2nd July, the survey found:

• More than 1 in 4 (26%) take an above average number of sick days in a typical year (more than six)
• Nearly half (48%) often feel burnt out at work by the autumn

There are currently over 34 million people employed in the UK. This means an estimated 22.5 million workers are typically taking less than half their holiday by 2nd July, and around 10 million workers are at risk of burnout by autumn, according to Breathe HR’s findings.

There is a solution. The research suggests that when workers spread leave evenly across the year, they are happier, healthier, and more productive. When workers were asked about the impact of taking regular breaks from work:

• Nearly 4 in 5 (79%) said they feel happier when they spread their leave
• Nearly 3 in 4 (73%) said they feel more productive when they spread their leave
• Nearly three-quarters (72%) feel less run down and/or burnt out when they take regular breaks throughout the year

Despite the clear benefits, workloads and attitudes towards taking time off are among the factors preventing staff from taking regular breaks:

• 1 in 5 (21%) workers aren’t encouraged by their employer or manager to take a holiday
• Nearly 1 in 3 (29%) feel their workload prevents them from taking holiday
• More than 1 in 4 (28%) find it difficult to find out how much holiday they have used and have left

A separate 2024 Breathe HR report found that 42% of workers who didn’t use their full annual holiday allowance said staff shortages made it difficult to take time off.

2nd July: Burnout Deadline Day

To raise awareness of the holiday hoarding crisis and its impact, Breathe HR is calling on employers to recognise 2nd July as ‘Burnout Deadline Day’: the halfway point in the year by which workers should have taken around half of their holiday to prevent burnout.

The company is encouraging workers to spread breaks evenly throughout the year, and asking employers to build cultures where staff are encouraged to take time off.

To help employers battle burnout and holiday hoarding, Breathe HR is making free resources available to businesses through their Burnout Hub. Tools to help track and monitor holiday and burnout are also available through Breathe HR.

Phil Coxon, Managing Director at Breathe HR, comments: “We’re in a burnout epidemic. To protect our people and business performance, wellbeing cannot be an afterthought; it must be built into the core of how companies operate. Encouraging staff to take regular holidays is a huge part of this.

“I don’t just mean a once in a blue moon reminder to take a break. Words must be backed up by action. Time off has to be genuinely feasible for staff and actively encouraged throughout the year. That means leaders must keep workloads manageable, regularly remind teams to take breaks, role-model the behaviour themselves, and ensure that finding policy information and booking leave is easy.

“Despite what hustle culture would have us believe, we’re not machines. No one can think strategically, make great decisions, or innovate without proper time off to rest and recharge. That’s why we at Breathe HR are calling on employers to recognise Burnout Deadline Day this 2nd July to help end holiday hoarding, and ensure staff can leverage their leave evenly across the year and protect their mental health.”

Margaret Lewis, CEO at Sheffield Mind, comments: “Taking regular breaks from work is essential – it enables us to refresh, unwind and spend time on ourselves and our loved ones. We can return to work feeling reinvigorated and ready for action! Holiday hoarding may be related to anxiety, the idea that we might need that time off to deal with an emergency, or that we’ll be judged by colleagues and management if we book annual leave. But it can lead to burnout – and that’s no good for the individual or the organisation."

The findings come as separate research reveals that 85% of UK workers have experienced symptoms of burnout or exhaustion due to work, with nearly half needing to take time off work due to their mental health.

Overall, the hidden cost of employee sickness on employers is more than £100 billion per year, with poor mental health costing UK employers £51 billion per year.

Are your staff holiday hoarding? Here’s what to do about it

Comments from Charlie O’Brien, Head of People at Breathe HR:

1. Get to the bottom of why it’s happening

You can’t undo ‘holiday hoarding’ until you understand why it’s happening.

The reasons will vary from business to business, but our data at Breathe HR suggests that heavy workloads, poor cultures around taking leave and hidden holiday policies could be the cause.

Perform a holiday culture audit. Get employees' opinions on what’s working well and what could be done better. From there, you have all the information you need to take the necessary steps to address holiday hoarding head-on.

2. Honestly reflect on your company culture

Just saying “you should take your holiday” isn’t enough. Without attitudes and policies that genuinely facilitate taking leave, they’re empty words.

Hustle culture and the pervasive fallacy that the more you work, the more productive or devoted you are to the company, has its claws deep in. So, unless taking time off feels genuinely encouraged, staff may hold back out of a fear they’ll be seen as less committed to the company than their ‘holiday hoarding’ peers.

To fix this, have an honest reflection on company culture: do you encourage staff to take their leave? What can you do better? How often do you discuss the benefits that taking a break can have on mental health? Do managers back up their holiday advocacy by actively role modelling healthy holiday behaviours?

By looking inwards and ensuring your culture and policies match your intentions, you’ll be able to ensure that workers feel genuinely able and encouraged to take the leave they are entitled to.

3. Beware of Burnout Deadline Day

2nd July is ‘Burnout Deadline Day’. This is the mid-point of the year by which employees should ideally have used roughly half of their holiday allowance if they’re going to successfully spread their leave throughout the year.

Consider marking this day with an event or workshop to raise awareness of the benefits of spreading leave evenly. You should also send regular reminders to staff to take time off well in advance of this date. Tools that can flag employees most at risk of burnout due to their holiday habits can also help with this, allowing you to send personalised reminders to those who need it most.

Openly talking about taking leave also means staff will feel less pressure to hoard their holiday for a rainy day. It will show staff that you know their holiday is important and that you genuinely care about their mental health.

4. Make holiday easy to book and view

Up to 1 in 4 workers find it difficult to find out how much holiday they have taken and have left, according to our data at Breathe HR. So, make sure it’s easy for staff to find out exactly what leave they have. Tools like a holiday tracker can help with this. So can centralising holiday policies and booking processes in one system. By removing friction from booking time off, workers will be more likely to leverage their leave.

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