UK workers are swapping holidays for ‘guilt-trips’ — but it’s burnout in slow motion

In 2024, 45% of working Brits failed to take their full annual leave balance (Picture: Getty Images)

There’s arguably no better feeling than logging off at work knowing you’re imminently heading off on annual leave. The out-of-office is on, and you’ve already mentally ordered that pina colada on the beach.

But what happens when you’re too scared to take your full allowance for fear of being judged by your colleagues?

Enter: ‘guilt-tripping’ – AKA, refraining from booking in any holiday because you don’t want to look like you’re not a ‘good worker.’

It’s a slippery slope: you see that your colleagues aren’t necessarily using all their allowances, or they’re sneakily replying to emails outside of office hours. They might even log on while they’re actually away on holiday just to ‘check in’ and show face.

And so, you decide that that’s what you’ll do, too, in keeping with the workplace culture. That’s clearly the way things should be done, right?

Nope. In 2024, statistics from NatWest found that 45% of working Brits failed to take their full annual leave allowance.

There’s a gendered trend, too, as only 50% of men used their full leave days, compared with 61% of women. And every single year, an average of five days go to waste – which is, as we know all too well, the equivalent of an entire working week.

That’s five days of sunbathing, swimming in crystal blue waters, enjoying afternoon Aperitivos, or simply enjoying a little bit of downtime at home – and crucially, away from the glare of your work laptop. RIP.

66% of those earning over £100,000 admitted to logging on while away (Picture: Getty Images)

The higher the salary, the more likely employees are to log on, too. Two-thirds (66%) of those earning over £100,000 admitted to working while away, while the figure for the general population of working Brits rested at 42%.

Likewise, a previous study from YouGov found that employees weren’t claiming their allotted days off for fear of judgment, and while 22% said they just never got round to it and 26% said they wanted to carry days over, 7% didn’t want to ‘appear lazy’ to their colleagues.

And in 2023, one in 10 UK workers didn’t take all of their annual leave allowance because they felt pressured by their management.

Why aren’t employees taking their annual leave?

As executive coach Beth Hope tells Metro, it’s not always because employees have forgotten to use up their annual leave that they don’t take it: it equally might be because of ‘fear, pressure and perception.’

‘People fear looking lazy, losing viability or letting their team down. This is especially common in high-performance cultures where “busyness” is still worn like a badge of honour,’ Beth explains. ‘We call it commitment, but it’s actually burnout in slow motion.’

As Zoe Sinclair, a workplace mental wellbeing specialist and founder of Employees Matter adds, there’s also an economic reason you might ignore your annual leave balance.

In her view, ‘guilt-tripping’ is ‘especially relevant in times of economic uncertainty, where employees are determined to show that they are hardworking, and that their role is critical to business success.’

So, if you’re proving that you’re financially useful, you’ll be safe from any potential layoffs, right? Not necessarily – so make sure you book that cabin retreat in for a bit of TLC.

Where does ‘guilt-tripping’ come from?

The root cause behind ‘guilt-tripping’ always comes from the top. When leaders are seen not to be taking time off, it sets the tone for the rest of the business that, as Beth says, ‘rest becomes risky.’

‘If the culture rewards being “always on”, employees start to fear that switching off makes them look weak or replaceable,’ she explains.

There’s the issue of excessive workload, too. What’s the point in taking time off if your to-do list is a million miles long?

‘If an employee is facing a huge amount of daily stress and tasks to be done, they might be resistant to taking time off work in case they fall behind on these jobs, with the level of work to be done upon their return being seen as insurmountable,’ Beth adds.

What’s the solution to ‘guilt-tripping’?

So, is it really as simple as making sure you use up all your annual leave? Not necessarily – it’s much deeper than that.

As Zoe explains, while some time off will undoubtedly go a long way towards ensuring that you’re actually able to grab a break, it’s almost counterproductive if you return feeling overwhelmed on the first day back.

‘Employers need to see the bigger picture here too in terms of workload for employees, and striking the right work-life balance,’ Zoe shares.

‘Annual leave is most effective if they come back to a manageable workload and to-do list following their break.

‘Knowing that their annual leave is not only supported by leadership, but that managers understand their workload pressures too and are supportive of this, this will help to encourage employees to take all of their annual leave allowance.’

Beth adds that it’s similarly important to respect your colleagues’ boundaries when they’re off, just as you’d expect the same.

You wouldn’t want to receive an urgent call about KPIs while you’re sitting abroad trying to sunbathe, right? Apply that same mentality elsewhere.

‘Don’t contact them, even with “just a quick question.” Respect goes both ways,’ Beth says.

And when it comes to reducing anxiety around taking time off from work, she advises planning it early, communicating it clearly and simply treating it ‘as part of your job.’

‘Rest is not a reward, it’s how you stay sharp and deliver results,’ she concludes.

‘You do not need to earn your annual leave. You just need to take it.’

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