Just under half (46%) of full-time employees have cancelled an average of seven days annual leave, according to research by Timetastic.
The survey of 2002 UK employees carried out between 13 May 2020 and 15 May 2020 found that just over one-third (36%) haven't heard anything from their employers regarding what will happen to their annual leave entitlements in 2020.
Additionally, over one in five (17%) have been advised they need to use their entitlement up before the end of the year, while 3% have been told they can’t take days of annual leave at all.
Additional findings revealed that 60% of employees didn’t take all of their annual leave in 2019. 9% felt that they couldn't book any more days off due to their role being too essential, while 5% said their employer made it difficult for them. A further 5% said their workplace culture prevented them from taking additional days of leave.
Gary Bury, the chief executive at Timetastic said: "The sheer number of days of annual leave being cancelled around the UK is potentially only the start of the trouble for employers. If employees decide to take them all later in the year, there could be a real productivity crisis in autumn or winter.
"The onus is on employers to fully explain the new rules for annual leave carry-over, as set out by the government, to employees. That information might help them to decide to save some holidays for a larger trip next year, ‘flattening the curve’ of cancelled annual leave being rebooked and ensuring productivity stays high throughout the rest of 2020."