More than half of Brits will take a summer holiday this year, according to a YouGov survey for Readly.
A third of people (34 per cent) plan to holiday in the UK, 42 per cent will go abroad, and 11 per cent plan to do both, enjoying summer breaks both overseas and at home.
When it comes to the top foreign destinations they’ll jet to, holiday specialists Travelbag analysed 69 long-haul destinations to reveal the most in-demand countries British holiday makers want to visit in 2023.
The Maldives and Turkey are the most sought-after locations, followed by Thailand and Mexico, Egypt, Barbados and Cape Verde.
Unsurprisingly, the biggest holiday priority for travellers is some R&R, with 59 per cent of respondents to Readly’s survey saying their main motivation is relaxation. Learning about a different country or culture is the rationale for 37 per cent, while 8 per cent are hoping their holiday provides new inspiration.
With all that annual leave-based gusto, it’s a bit surprising to find that last year, 62 per cent of UK workers didn’t take all of their annual leave, according to a survey from Timetastic. Women are far more likely than men to use all of their annual leave (50 per cent v 28 per cent), and in fact, over 18 million of the UK’s 29.7 million workers didn’t take the amount of leave they were entitled to in 2022.
With only one in five UK employees receiving remuneration for their unused annual leave, it makes sense to take all of your entitlement. On the flip-side, 18.6 per cent of employees actually do receive pay for their annual leave, which is the reason why they didn’t choose to take all of it.
Another 10 per cent report that the reason they didn’t take their full annual leave last year was because they felt pressure from management.
Perhaps it is not surprising then that another YouGov survey identified that, despite the clear indicators that British workers want to switch off on their holidays, 60 per cent check their inboxes while on holiday, with 25 per cent saying they check “very often”.
Part of this is down to habit, but another element is the culture of busyness which equates output with self-worth. For many, being too busy is now a badge of honour––but being too busy can lead to burnout.
Headspace’s recent Workforce Attitudes Toward Mental Health Report found that 13 per cent of workers feel worse mentally than they did last year. A holiday is meant to help that––not exacerbate it.
So what can you do if you’re either tempted or expected to do work while you’re on annual leave? Heading to the most remote destination you can find where the internet has not yet reached, is one (dramatic) approach.
Another is to set the scene before you leave. Make sure everyone knows when you’ll be off and prepare them well for your absence. Create clear handover documents, re-assign any tasks you can and provide a really comprehensive out-of-office message with plenty of signposts for who to contact about specific responsibilities.
This should go a long way to helping both colleagues and clients leave you alone when you’re trying to unwind.
However, if you’re working for a company where it’s the norm to take calls and meetings on holiday, it can be difficult, if not impossible, to change that culture. One solution is to look for a new job where you can actually get some downtime.
The London Economic Job Board is a great place to start your search, with thousands of jobs to discover, like the three below.
Monzo has an opportunity for a proactive, technically-minded and creative Cyber Security Operations Lead to run and manage its Security Operations Squad. This role can be fully remote or hybrid and you will have full responsibility for all aspects of information security across the organisation. You’ll need a strong background managing security operations in a tech environment or highly agile corporate environment to apply.
A role for a Consumer Credit Risk Senior Analyst is available at Klarna. You will drive analytical projects on credit risk underwriting policy using SQL and data manipulation, and build and maintain credit risk monitoring of underwriting policies and will analyse moving trends across products and consumer segments to ensure risk appetite is met. If you have a degree in science, technology, engineering, mathematics or a business field. And two years’ experience in credit risk (or experience in data science), consider applying.
Spendesk is looking for a Lead of Total Rewards in London, who will be driving the compensation and benefits strategy globally to ensure the company is incentivising and rewarding the right performance, and ensuring it remains competitive across all functions. You’ll need previous experience as a head of total rewards, plus a successful track record in designing, developing and implementing compensation, benefits and wellness programs at a regional or global level.
