Bringing the number of public holidays in the UK in line with the rest of the European Union (EU) would boost the productivity of employees, a survey of human resource staff has found.
The research, conducted by Croner Consulting, found that 82 per cent of those questioned felt that standardising the number of paid days off across the EU would improve employee morale and boost the output of British firms.
Currently, UK staff enjoy just eight bank holidays a year, one of the lowest numbers in Europe. These days are not a statutory entitlement, meaning that employers can count bank holidays as part of annual leave.
Croner pointed out that the UK minimum of 20 days paid annual leave also lags behind our European counterparts.
By contrast, Italy has 16 bank holidays a year, followed by Iceland with 15 and Spain, which gives its workers 14 days off a year.
Over recent years, British employees have consistently worked longer hours than their European counterparts, taking far less holiday time as a result.
Trade unions have called for the UK to end its ‘long hours culture’, claiming that employee health, as well as productivity, was being harmed.
Richard Smith, of Croner Consulting, said that there is evidence to say that long hours could be contributing to occupational stress, absenteeism and lower productivity.
“Workers have seen their peers catching up with UK standards in other fields and might feel it is unfair that they’re falling behind in terms of both paid and public holidays.
“UK workers tend to feel hard done by compared to other European countries due to this discrepancy, which could also be a demotivating factor affecting performance at work.
“Arguably, more free time to relax, pursue leisure activities and go on holiday could improve performance in the workplace, as we generally return rested and refreshed.
“But, while Croner would advise clients to encourage their employees to take their full holiday entitlement, we would not specifically advise increasing paid leave as a tool to increase productivity.
“Productivity is a complex subject, influenced by numerous factors and there is no quick-fix solution for getting the most out of workers,” he said.