From 1 October 2007 the minimum paid holiday allowance rises from 20 to 24 days, including the eight bank holidays, yet over half of workers say that the extension will do nothing for productivity levels.
This is according to a new study by market research outfit TNS. Shockingly, just 21 per cent are actually aware of the new legislation, whilst a whopping 86 per cent are ignorant of how many days holiday they are legally allowed to take.
According to TNS, what workers want is more flexibility about how leave is taken. Over two-thirds (68 per cent) want to be able to take additional, unpaid holiday, while just under a quarter say that they have previously chosen to work instead of taking paid holiday – something that the new legislation will make impossible once fully implemented. For 70 per cent, swapping salary for leave is not an option.
Rosemary Bayman, head of stakeholder management at TNS, said: “Although paid holiday is an important perk for employees, salary still ranks higher. However, this study does show that employees value flexibility in their holiday package – an aspect that the new Working Time Directive has neglected.”
From 2009 the minimum holiday allowance for workers in the UK will rise even further to 28 days. Despite the extension, UK workers will have the lowest amount of paid holiday in the EU.
In related news HR Zone recently reported that one in 20 civil servants work over and above their contracted hours, breaking the working time regulations by working over 49 hours per week.
