BLT 28th Feb: Enough about work…let’s talk about holidays!

Q: Is taking more holiday good for your work?  

Beguiled by recent warm weather, our thoughts turned to sunnier climes at the recent BLT meeting, with the first day of Spring just around the corner (*).

(*) Since this blog was written, we have of course been buffeted by gales and storms…serves me right for speaking too soon!

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Views (fairly obvious) from around the BLT table as to why is it good to take holidays?

• De-stress
• Health benefits
• Something to look forward to (those of us who plan our holidays well in advance!)
• Pursue an interest / broaden horizons

We all differed in what made a good holiday for each of us (reflecting our particular tastes) but where we were in agreement was that changing holiday patterns led to more frequent but shorter breaks.

1970s: Air travel expensive / jobs-for-life / no internet / 2-3 weeks summer holiday
2010s: Air travel cheap / growth of gig & freelance economy / internet connectivity / growth in half-term getaways (e.g. Feb – skiing, October – winter sun)

Hence, the majority of those sitting round the BLT table did NOT take a ‘mandatory’ 2-week break in the Summer, preferring shorter (but more frequent) breaks. 

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Other (less obvious) reasons for taking a holiday:

1. Productivity – The Quality v Quantity argument

“Let me take you far away, 
You’d like a ho-liday”

– The Scorpions

So sang ‘The Scorpions’ (a German heavy metal band for those of you not in the musical know!) in what could be considered a show of teutonic oneupmanship, since it is widely known that UK workers have to make do with the fewest holidays in Europe (the average UK leave being 28 days -including bank holidays – versus a 33-day European average). 

Why is it then, that UK productivity (as measured by The Bank of England) constantly lags our ‘more-holidayed’ European counterparts?

Could it be that more hours spent at work does not actually result in more output…in which case, perhaps the ‘work-in-lieu’ benefits of holidays are under-estimated in the UK?

2. Unlimited holidays – the way forwards?

Taking this concept to extreme, various US companies (typically in the tech space) have started to introduce ‘unlimited holidays’, and this trend has begun to catch on in the UK.

“We don’t count how many days people take. All we look at is the work they produce.”

Paul Cockerton, CEO of Dynamo PR

Anecdotally, many workers tend to ‘save’ holidays until year end ‘just in case’ they are needed, which then disrupts a company’s workflow.

“If holidays aren’t a finite asset, you’re more likely to use them over the course of the year and have much more space to breathe.”

Alex Myers, CEO of Manifest PR

Note that both of these quotes come from PR firms, which have a more ‘fluid’ way of working, so this set-up may not work across other industries. However, the concept of ‘taking holiday when required’ is far closer to the freelance model, and as people continue to try to manage their work:life balance, this model looks set to grow in popularity.

3. Holidays are for wimps?

“Only 65% of UK workers took their full holiday entitlement.”

YouGov 2018

Note that this percentage was far lower in countries such as the USA & Japan, where a culture persists about not taking all your holidays.

The counter argument for ‘forcing’ employees to take all their holidays can be seen in ‘sensitive’ industries where the risk of employee wrong-doing can only be unearthed when that employee is absent.

For example, in the largest investment bank fraud cases in recent years (UBS, Societe Generale), both of the traders sought to avoid taking holiday in order to cover up their fraudulent positions, and it was only when they were forced to be absent that the extent of their losses were uncovered. 

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Conclusion

“On holiday, we found that we really liked each other and enjoyed each other’s company”

BLT member

It would seem that extended periods of time together reaffirm what we like in our partners…or, what we dislike (hence why enforced time together at Xmas is anecdotally the biggest cause of marital break-ups!)

What is clear, is that over the years the clear delineation between work and holiday time has become increasingly blurred as we become ever more connected. Maybe our European counterparts, with the more ‘aggressive’ approach to enforcing holidays are onto something after all….?