Workers banking leave instead of holidays
Australian workers are taking less time off and banking annual leave.
Australians have accumulated 118 million days of untaken leave, said Dr Peter Cotton, director of Psychology Services at Medibank Health Solutions.
Workers are entitled to an average of 20 days’ annual leave but take only 15, a survey by online travel company Expedia found.
Almost a third of Australians cited finances as the main reason behind not taking holidays, while 13% cited negative reactions from employers.
Australians are among the most holiday-deprived nations in the world and take fewer holidays every year. A third of all Australian workers also said they had cancelled or postponed holiday plans because of work and more than a quarter said their employers were “unsupportive” of annual leave. Another 14% cited separation anxiety from work as their main reason not to take leave.
When Australians do take a break, 22 per cent regularly check in to work.
The Tourism and Transport Forum said allowing workers to trade paid annual leave for a higher hourly pay rate could see fewer Australians taking holidays and lead to a downturn in tourism.
A separate report by Roy Morgan Research found the number of Australians taking holidays was also falling, down from 70% in September last year to 68% the same month this year.
Those planning to take domestic holidays has also dropped to 56%.
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