Rows over annual leave turn offices into “rats nests of resentment”

Arguments over annual leave are turning offices into “rats nests of resentment and pent up anger”, according to a new study by law firm Stephensons.

The report surveyed 2000 employees, asking their thoughts on colleagues using their allotted paid leave. The findings show that a staggering one fifth of those asked resented their fellow workers for booking on dates that they themselves wanted to use, which in turn led to bitterness and aggravation in the office.

Philip Richardson, Head of Employment Law at Stephensons, has clarified the importance of employees taking their granted annual leave, explaining: “Annual leave is a topic of contention in many businesses. Unfortunately it is also an issue rarely discussed. What we know is that people who are denied leave often go on to call in sick or experience a drop in productivity.”

Anxiety levelled around annual leave is nothing new in Britain, with a report from Canada Life Group Insurance showing that almost one quarter (23%) of the UK workforce did not use all of their paid holiday allowance in 2013.