This week is Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK, an opportunity for employers to pause and think about how they can support their employees’ wellbeing at work. Not just this week, but all the time. One of the simplest yet most effective ways to prevent burnout and maintain good mental health in the workplace is to make sure that employees take a break from it! Time away from the workplace to relax and recharge is crucial for reducing stress, boosting morale, and improving overall productivity.

But are your employees actually taking their leave? While full-time employees in the UK are entitled to 5.6 weeks’ annual leave each year, not everyone takes all their days. In fact, according to two surveys commissioned by Timetastic in December 2022 and February 2024 respectively, more than half of UK employees aren’t using their full leave entitlement each year.

Here are some top tips for making sure your employees take regular time off, maintain a good work-life balance, and avoid burnout:

  1. Remind employees of their holiday rights

Employers should make sure that employees are clearly aware of their right to take time off and make it as easy as possible for them to arrange it. Consider auditing employee records at regular intervals during the holiday year to check who hasn’t taken any time away from work. Encourage them to take time away. Remind them of how much holiday they have left to take. Up to four weeks of holiday will be carried-over each year if the employer hasn’t given the employee reasonable opportunity to take leave or to encourage them to do so. Employers will not want employees racking up massive amounts of accrued holiday and it will do nothing to support employee wellbeing.

  1. Space to breathe – adequate cover is essential

One of the main reasons employees can be reluctant to book time off is a worry that there is no one to cover their workload. They can be worried about putting their colleagues under more pressure, or having the work pile up for their return. Taking time off is meant to reduce stress, but these concerns end up increasing it! Management need to take responsibility here. Clear options for delegation need to be available to all employees at all levels.

  1. A holiday with a work phone in tow is not a holiday

A holiday needs to be a holiday. Employees can all too often find themselves ‘just checking their emails’ or ‘making a few calls’ when they are meant to be away from work and relaxing. The fact that technology now makes this possible, does not mean that it should be expected. There should be no stigma attached to turning your work phone off and taking a true ‘break’. If this is a particular problem in your business then consider making it a business rule or including it expressly in written policies.

  1. A holiday is not always a holiday – get creative

Employees with childcare responsibilities, especially those with school-age children, often end up having to deploy their precious holiday entitlement to cover school holidays. This can mean that employees don’t take a break when they actually need to – just when they have to in order to cover childcare. This is not good for either mental or physical wellbeing.

Employers who identify this as an issue within their workplace should make employees aware that they are able to take unpaid parental leave to cover school holidays (18 weeks per child up to the age of 18). Employers could also hold informal discussions to consider whether impacted employees might be able to work more flexibly over school holiday periods to cover childcare gaps which might otherwise end up eating into holiday entitlement. For example, homeworking or compressed hours might make the unmanageable manageable and allow employees to save their holidays for an actual ‘holiday’!

  1. A cash equivalent isn’t going to cut the mustard

Employers aren’t able to side-step the holiday issue by paying in lieu of it. Not only would such an approach do nothing for the wellbeing of the burnt-out employee, it would also breach the Working Time Regulations 1998. The Regulations enshrine a right to paid time off work – not just pay. Holiday entitlement can’t be replaced by a payment in lieu, save in the specific circumstance where the worker’s employment is terminated.

The bottom line for HR:

  • Communicate clearly about holiday entitlements and the importance of taking breaks.
  • Monitor leave usage and actively encourage employees to take time off.
  • Address burnout risks by ensuring managers are aware of the signs and encourage time away from work.

A proactive approach to holiday management can protect employee wellbeing, prevent costly burnout, and keep your business on the right side of the law.