Employees in the hospitality industry usually only take half of their annual leave

Restaurant, bar, pub and club workers take an average of just 16 days of their 30-day holiday pay – while healthcare workers take more than their entitlement

According to a study, workers in the country’s hospitality sector take the smallest portion of their vacation entitlement compared to other occupations.

A study of 7,000 employees found that restaurant, bar and pub workers are allowed to take up to 30 days a year – but only 16 on average.

And those who work in quick service restaurants can withdraw 31 but only take 25.

In contrast, healthcare and medical workers typically book three days more than their 38.5 days per year.

Experts analyzing the data found that those who work in call centers also take very little vacation time — just 19.5 days off their 32-day allowance.

But at the other end of the scale, professional services workers—such as lawyers, accountants, or consultants—perceive their precise claim.

Across all sectors, the average person receives 32 (31.8) days of holiday pay but only takes 27 (26.6) days – leaving a full working week (5.2 days) of free time unused each year.

The results were published by online human resource management company RotaCloud created a tool To allow workers in different sectors to compare their holiday entitlements.

Pam Hinds, Head of HR at RotaCloud, says: “Employees should always take time off – but as our annual time off tool has shown, many don’t.

“Those who work in hospitality, in particular, have had to work exceptionally hard in recent years to meet the demands of the public – typically involving long, antisocial hours and days when many other people are enjoying their free time.

“Whereas we have medical professionals who, according to our data, sometimes use more than their entitlement, and rightly so — no doubt to have days off to handle their incredibly stressful and demanding jobs.”

The data revealed that 69% of workers did not take all of their annual leave in the past year, with some choosing to lose days altogether.

But a separate study of 2,000 workers, also commissioned by RotaCloud, found that 43% are allowed to carry over unused vacation pay into the following year.

One in five cited having too much work to do as the main reason for not claiming their full claim.

And one in six don’t trust there won’t be any new Covid restrictions, so still don’t want to risk travelling.

Having no one to delegate work to and feeling like they have to come back with a mountain of work prevents 16% from using their pocket money.

Other top reasons are vacation days that are too expensive, difficulties in coordinating breaks with your partner and the desire not to let your colleagues down.

Unfortunately, more than one in ten people thinks vacation is pointless because they would only be working anyway.

Of those who do not always have annual leave left, 38% are known to take MORE time off than is normally allotted.

The main reasons were the desire to travel (39%), an unforeseen illness (38%) and looking after the children (34%).

But a third of those who booked extra days did so to take care of their own mental health, while 31% had to see a doctor.

Of all respondents polled via OnePoll, six in 10 believe they will burn out if they don’t take all of their allotted annual leave.

Pam Hinds added: “58% of people think that the number of vacation days offered is one or the only most important factor in the decision to take a job – but we still don’t take all of the annual leave we are entitled to.

“Not only does your employer owe you that, but regular breaks from work are vital for both your physical and mental health – so it’s really important to take all of your annual leave entitlement, no matter how busy it is at work.

“As employers, we should encourage the full use of annual leave and actively ensure that people feel able and comfortable to take time off.

“Hopefully our annual leave tool will help make it clear that we could all use a little more rest.”

HOW MUCH LEAVE ENTITLEMENT DIFFERENT SECTORS ARE ALLOWED TO AND HOW MUCH THEY ACTUALLY CONSUME:

• Health Care/Medical/Hospital – 35.0 daily allowance, 38.5 days used
• Professional Services – 32.5 days compensation, 32.7 days used
• Visual – 32.9 days allowance, 31.8 days used
• Retail (online/e-commerce) – 33.2 days allowance, 31.4 days used
• Veterinary and Animal Care – 30.7 days grant, 30.2 days used
• Volunteers/Charities – 36.1 per day, 29.7 days used
• Entertainment – 35.6 days allowance, 28.7 days used
• Dental practice – 30.5 days compensation, 28.6 days used
• Software/Technology – 33.6 days compensation, 28.2 days used
• Transportation – 33.1 days allowance, 28.0 days used
• Retail (Store) – 31.3 days allowance, 26.6 days used
• Nursing home/residential care – 30.6 per diem, 26.0 days used
• Fast Food – 31.3 days grant, 25.3 days used
• IT – 32.8 days allowance, 25.2 days used
• Other hospitality – 30.8 days allowance, 24.6 days used
• Catering/Events – 31.3 days effort, 23.6 days used
• Leisure/Recreation – 30.6 days allowance, 22.9 days used
• Hotel/Resorts – 29.5 days allowance, 21.9 days used
• Call Center – 32.0 days allowance, 19.5 days used
• Restaurant/Bar/Club/Pub – 29.8 days allowance, 16.4 days used