Are Your Employees Using Their Annual Leave?

As the year draws to a close, it’s a good time to check whether your team has taken their full annual leave entitlement. If your company policy doesn’t allow leave to carry over into the new year, now is the moment to remind staff before it’s too late.

Why Taking Annual Leave Matters

Encouraging your employees to take time off isn’t just about ticking a compliance box, it’s about supporting their health and performance.

• Wellbeing & Burnout Prevention: Regular breaks reduce stress, boost resilience, and improve focus.

• Productivity Gains: Rested employees return more motivated and engaged.

• Legal Compliance: You have a duty to ensure staff take their statutory holiday entitlement.

The festive season and the darker winter months are when people need rest and downtime the most, so encouraging leave is both good for business and good for people.

Practical Tips for Managing Leave

• Statutory Entitlement: Employees are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave each year. You should actively encourage staff to use it.

• No Payment for Untaken Leave: Unused statutory leave cannot be paid out unless an employee is leaving your organisation.

• Plan Ahead: Remind staff now so you can manage cover effectively during December.

• Fair Handling: If you can’t approve a request, explain why and suggest alternative dates.

• Promote Wellbeing: Position annual leave as a core part of your culture, not just a legal requirement.

Streamlining Holiday Management

If you’re still tracking holidays on spreadsheets or paper forms, you may be wasting valuable admin time. HR software such as BreatheHR can:

• Provide staff with self-service access to request and view leave.

• Help managers plan absences across teams more effectively.

• Keep accurate records without the hassle of manual tracking.

It’s simple, affordable, and saves everyone time, leaving you free to focus on your people, not paperwork.

Final Thoughts

Annual leave is more than just “time off”, it’s a legal right and a vital part of maintaining a healthy, high-performing workforce. With a little planning and the right tools, you can ensure staff take the rest they’re entitled to while keeping your business running smoothly.

How Kirby HR Consultancy Can Help

Need support with setting up or reviewing your holiday policy? Kirby HR can help you stay compliant and make leave management easier.

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