Christmas Bank Holiday: How UK workers can turn three days of annual leave into 10

Christmas offers the final – and most effective – opportunity of the year to stretch out annual leave.

Taking clever advantage of the Christmas Bank Holiday, Brits can enjoy more work-free time, getting up to 10 days by using only three days of annual leave.

Following recent research showing that 39% of Brits plan to go on holiday in the last three months of the year, Nigel Frank, a Tenth Revolution Group company, has figured out how UK holiday makers can effectively double their time off this winter.

With the Christmas Bank Holiday on Monday, (December 25) and Boxing Day (Tuesday December 26), workers in the UK can take off the Wednesday to Friday after the holiday to triple their annual leave, turning three days into 10 for a work-free festive season. And if they can also take off the remainder of the week following New Year’s Day (Monday, January 1), this extends the run to a whopping 16 days.

This holiday hack applies to UK workers entitled to bank holidays as part of their employment contract and who normally work Monday-Friday.

A travel company, Travel Counsellors report, shows that 38% of Brits value holidays more than before the pandemic.

With 76% of UK professionals impacted by stress and reporting moderate-to-high or high levels of stress, Zoë Morris, President of Nigel Frank, explains how holidays allow employees time to de-stress, unwind and relax away from the hustle and bustle that working life can generate.

“Taking prolonged spells away from work using holiday hacks presents the opportunity for employees to recharge their batteries throughout the year without using up as much of their annual allowance.”

According to Zoe, employee wellbeing is an essential element in sustaining a successful workforce – and a healthy work-life balance is a core component of that wellbeing.

“Employers should do more to encourage a healthier balance. Simple acts such as sending out an e-mail reminder for employees to use their annual leave, or having managers openly discuss the benefits of using holidays, even if it’s just to spend some time at home relaxing, can go a long way towards achieving this, as it communicates to employees that your business values their wellbeing.”