It appears that the majority of Irish workers are at risk of burn-out.
Nearly 40% of Irish workers do not take their full allocation of annual leave, according to a new survey by IrishJobs.ie
The new report discloses that almost four in 10 workers (37%) didn’t take their full allocation of annual leave days in 2017, and just under half of respondents took a holiday longer than two weeks last year.
And as for those who did manage to get away, 33% said they found it hard to switch off and even admitted to working while away from the office.
The Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 sets out a basic annual paid leave requirement of four working weeks (or 20 days) for full-time workers in Ireland unless otherwise stated by an employer.
However, two-thirds (67%) of those surveyed said that they are offered more than 20 days annual leave by their employer. 2% percent of those surveyed, meanwhile, are entitled to unlimited annual leave... the lucky ducks.
The survey also revealed that 70% of respondents were not paid for the annual leave they did take.
According to
Citizens Information, annual leave pay should be paid in advance at the normal weekly rate. If your pay varies, for example, because of commission or bonus payments, your pay for your holidays is the average of your pay over the 13 weeks before you take holidays.
Commenting on the results of the survey, IrishJobs.ie General Manager Orla Moran said: “The Irish workforce is extremely hard-working. Many are working in extremely competitive professional environments and understandably are eager to demonstrate their work ethic, ambition and commitment to their employer. One outcome is that employees become so consumed with their day job, taking annual leave becomes a secondary consideration.
“Therefore, while it is not particularly surprising to see that almost 40% of workers are not availing of their full annual leave allocation, in the long run, this is a very unwise approach and one that will ultimately lead to burn out.
"It is important to remember that annual leave is essential time away from the workplace to switch off and recharge the batteries. We advise everyone to make full use of their statutory entitlement.”
