Over two thirds of UK businesses are backing calls for an additional January bank holiday, according to a new report.
The report, by Croner Consulting, reveals that 72 per cent of businesses believe that adding an extra bank holiday to the start of the working year would actually enhance productivity and morale.
The call for extra bank holidays is being championed by the Trades Union Congress, which also called for a bank holiday to be held at the end of October, as well as gaining business support for additional holidays on St George’s day and New Year’s Eve.
Britons currently have eight bank holidays per year, one of the lowest levels in Europe, with Italy providing sixteen.
Richard Smith, HR professional at Croner, said: “With longer hours often being associated with a steady increase in occupational stress, absenteeism and lower productivity, it is essential that employees are not left feeling hard done by.”
However, such calls have been widely criticised by business groups, including the Forum of Private Business (FPB), with its chief executive, Nick Goulding, claiming that they would cause “massive disruption”.
Smith said, “What our survey illustrates is that offering additional holidays linked to an existing break would not be seen as a problem by most businesses and would be a way to offer increased entitlement to time off without increasing costs significantly.”
