The latest Annual Leave Report, produced by FRS Recruitment, surveyed almost 2,000 Irish workers and found that 35% of workers were not taking their full entitlement. 

Broadcaster and humanist celebrant Ruth Scott spoke to Lunchtime Live detailing her confusion as to why so many workers are not taking their holidays. 

“I love taking my holidays. 

“Not every time that I take my holidays will I be going abroad or on a big adventure. 

“I don’t understand why people don’t take them. 

“You are probably going to be more efficient if you take the time off.” 

Workplace stress

Ms Scott explained that a possible reason for workers not taking holidays is due to the impact of workplace stress, and the workload surrounding a planned absence.

“There are so many workplaces that are overstretched and understaffed. 

“At the same time, what is going to happen if in a years’ time they [workers] just burn out because they haven’t taken a holiday. 

“They won’t have been able to have taken a break from it [work] at all.  

“There is nowhere really apart from a holiday where you actually get a chance to wind your neck in and calm down.” 

 Unused leave

Retired primary school principal, and listener to the show, Dee said she never took any additional holidays on top of those allotted in the school year. 

“As a principal you would be in and out during those breaks [school holidays]. 

“We would get EPDs [extra personal vacation days] if we did a course in the summer. 

“I don’t know if I have ever taken those days. 

“You were leaving the whole school with no principal, it’s getting cover, and then the stuff that would come in when you were away 

“I was looking over my diaries earlier before [coming on the show] and there was several years where I kept them and kept them in the case that I needed them.”