UK company policies on statutory employee holiday entitlements can lead to less productive employees.
Workers in the UK may have the most generous statutory employee holiday entitlements but in reality they often fare worse than their European peers.
While they have the potential of accruing 36 days off a year, allowing companies to include public holidays as part of their 28-day statutory holiday entitlement can give UK workers fewer days holiday than other European employees.
Typically, European and Asia-Pacific employees are allowed to take public holidays in addition to their statutory entitlement.
“Companies that keep holiday provision as low as possible in order to reduce lost income from absent workers may find that their employees are less robust, in poorer health and crucially, less productive,” said Wolfgang Seidl, Head of Mercer’s Healthcare Consulting business.
“It’s key to create a culture of health in the workplace and employees will take the message home with them and look after their health outside work as well.”
According to Mercer’s Worldwide Benefit and Employment Guidelines, Austrian employees have the most potential for holiday with 25 days statutory holiday entitlement and 13 days public holidays.
Workers in Canada have the lowest possible entitlements with 19 days as US Federal law does not mandate pay for time not worked and holiday policies vary widely.
