A quarter of workers are forced to cancel their holiday plans by bosses.
This is according to latest research by the Dignity at Work Partnership, an anti-bullying project which found that 25 per cent have been put under sufficient pressure by senior colleagues to cancel their annual leave plans.
In the battle of the sexes, men lose out when it comes to holidays. Thirty per cent of men compared with 24 per cent of women in the UK have been asked to cancel their leave, with even greater pressure placed on those in the 16 – 24 age range.
According to Dignity at Work, preventing employees from taking their right to holiday is an abuse of power by the employer. A spokesperson for the group said: “Every worker in the UK is entitled to annual leave and removing this right is a form of bullying and can lead to unnecessary stress.”
The amount of leave cancelled varies significantly by sector. The survey found it to be more prevalent in telecoms, manufacturing, engineering and finance, while in the travel industry it occurred far less.
Last month, HR Zone reported that as many as 63 per cent of senior executives are failing to use their full holiday allowance.