Why Holiday Hoarding Is Hurting Your Team

If your team is stockpiling annual leave like it’s a just-in-case fund, you’re not alone. New research shows millions of UK workers are ‘holiday hoarding’and the impact on wellbeing and business performance is bigger than you might think.

According to a new study by Breathe HR, two-thirds of employees typically take less than half of their holiday allowance by the halfway point of the year (2nd July). Even more worrying? Around 1 in 3 have taken less than a quarter of their leave by that date.

And it’s not just time off that’s being lost. Hoarding holiday comes at a cost - to health, productivity and morale.

---

 

What’s the real impact?

The survey revealed that among employees taking less than half of their holiday by July:

• 26% take an above-average number of sick days (6+ per year)
• 48% feel burnt out by autumn

If you apply that to the UK workforce, that’s 10 million people potentially at risk of burnout by the end of summer.

The bottom line? Holding back on holidays doesn’t make people more productive. It makes them more exhausted, less engaged, and more likely to call in sick.

 

Why time off matters

When people take time off regularly throughout the year, the benefits are clear:

• 79% say it makes them feel happier
• 73% say it boosts productivity
• 72% say it helps prevent burnout

So why aren’t we doing it?

 

What’s stopping people taking time off?

The research highlighted some key barriers:

• 21% say they’re not encouraged to take holiday by their manager
• 29% feel their workload stops them booking time off
• 28% find it hard to keep track of their remaining leave

And in a separate report, 42% of those who didn’t use their full allowance blamed staff shortages.

Clearly, there’s a gap between what’s available and what feels realistic to take.

 

2nd July = Burnout Deadline Day

Breathe HR is now encouraging employers to mark 2nd July as 'Burnout Deadline Day' – a mid-year checkpoint where staff should ideally have used around half of their annual leave.

It’s a good reminder to check in, raise awareness, and start building a culture that encourages consistent rest, not last-minute burnout avoidance.

 

5 Ways to Tackle Holiday Hoarding in Your Business

1. Find out why it’s happening

Start with a holiday culture audit. Is it workloads? Perception? Lack of clarity? Ask your team. You’ll uncover blockers you might not know exist.

2. Reflect on your culture

Saying “take your holiday” isn’t enough. Do your policies and managers genuinely support this? Is it role-modelled from the top? How visible are your holiday booking processes?

3. Use Burnout Deadline Day to start a conversation

Mark 2nd July with a campaign or internal check-in. Remind staff about the benefits of spreading leave. Share data. Offer practical tools or a wellbeing workshop.

4. Make it easy to book and track holiday

If people don’t know how much leave they’ve used, or find it hard to book, they’ll put it off. Use simple systems that show live data, centralise policies, and minimise admin.

5. Keep talking about time off

Make regular breaks a normal part of team conversation. Check in during 1:1s. Plan ahead for coverage. And above all, show that you value rest as much as results.

 

Final Thought

If you want a healthy, high-performing team, they need regular breaks. That means creating the time, tools and culture to make that happen.

Burnout isn’t a badge of honour. It’s a sign that something needs to change.

If you’re ready to make leave work better in your business, we can help. Get in touch for a conversation about how to improve your holiday culture and protect your people.