A right royal knees-up might be occurring at the palace, but four in ten of Britain’s workers won’t be off work on the Queen’s platinum jubilee bank holiday.
According to a recent survey 18% confessed they will miss out completely while one in ten are planning on taking it another day.
And a further 11% are still unsure if they will benefit from the extra bank holiday. Over a fifth of those working on 3 June simply can’t afford to take the time off, with respondents in Plymouth most likely to cite that reason.
Showing their unpatriotic side, nearly 3 in 10 weren’t even aware there was an additional day’s leave available this year, which shows how easy it is to lose track of workplace benefits and holidays. And men are almost 50% more likely to be in the dark about the extra time off on offer.
Oliver Rayner, managing director at Caspian Insurance, who commissioned the research, said: “It’s a sad but true fact that many hard working people in Britain won’t be able to take the day off to mark the Queen’s jubilee and join in with the celebrations. We’re a nation of grafters so it’s devastating to think that money worries are causing people to miss out on what’s supposed to be paid time off for the whole nation.”
And it’s not just the Queen’s jubilee that Brits are missing out on – six out of 10 workers lose at least one other paid day off per year, while 15% confess to not taking four to six days of their annual leave allowance.
For those who do manage to use all of their paid leave, three quarters admit they do so by logging in to emails while away, working overtime before the break, letting others know they are contactable while they’re ‘out of office’ or logging in and working while officially on annual leave.
When it comes to the self-employed, nearly a quarter say they rarely take any time off work as they can’t afford to, while 36% say they allocate themselves unpaid time off to ensure they get a break.
When questioned about workers’ other financial concerns, just under a fifth (18%) admit they are most stressed about not being able to afford to take time off if they are sick. Over a third (36%) are worried about saving for their future, while 18% fear not being able to put money away for their child’s future.
Rayner continued: “Unfortunately, the cost of living crisis looks set to get worse before it gets better, so money is going to be tight for a lot of employed and self-employed workers. It’s important to protect your income now more than ever – we’re seeing an increase in people taking out Income Protection and Critical Illness Cover policies as they want peace of mind for them and their loved ones. Seeking professional financial advice can help ensure your salary – and your lifestyle – is protected if you’re unable to work and give you peace of mind to take time off to recover if you do become too ill to work.”
He added: “Hopefully those that miss out on marking the Queen’s platinum jubilee are able to commemorate the day in their own way.”