Thailand, the Caribbean or maybe a road trip across Australia.
They’ve probably crossed your mind at least once, especially whilst sat at your desk at work. In fact thousands of Brits had already booked their holidays by January 7th this year, less than a week after returning from their Christmas break.
Now some of you might already know what your holiday allowance is for this year, or maybe you’ve accrued a few extra days thanks to length of service. For many it’s just the basic 25 days a year and it seems, for some Brits, it’s still not enough. Holiday rental company Optima Villas asked 10,000 Brits whether they were happy with their holiday allowance at work and over a quarter of them said no AND blamed the lack of holiday for their lack of productivity.
Sadly many employers are unlikely to give you as much holiday as you want – unless you’re Richard Branson of course, who gives his staff the freedom to book as much leave as they want in return for more productivity at work. So how can you get the most out of your basic holiday allowance or make it worth your while to be at work?
Book clever
This year there are a number of Bank holidays that work in your favour and because i’m feeling generous, I’ve done the maths so you don’t have to. Easter is the biggest loophole this year as you can enjoy 18 days off while only using 9 days holiday. But the fun doesn’t stop there. In fact, you can get 55 days off work this year (based on having 25 days holiday) and here is how:
Easter 2017:
- Friday April 14 – Good Friday
- Monday April 17 – Easter Monday
- Monday May 1 – Early May Bank Holiday
If Thursday, April 13 is your last day in work then you book time off until Tuesday, May 2, you will only be using 9 days of holiday for 18 days off work in total.
Days off work: 18
Holiday days remaining: 16
Spring Bank Holiday:
- Monday May 29
As the bank holiday is a Monday, you can use 4 days holiday to book the rest of the week off. Including both weekends either side of this bank holiday, you will have 9 days off in a row.
Days off work: 9
Holiday days remaining: 12
Summer Bank Holiday:
- Monday August 28
Exactly the same as with the May Bank Holiday. Book 4 days off and get 9 off in total.
Days off work: 9
Holiday days remaining: 8
Christmas 2017
- December 25 (Monday) – Christmas Day
- December 26 (Tuesday) – Boxing Day
Because of how Christmas falls this year, you’ll be able to book another 10 days off while using just 3 days leave allowance. Christmas Day will be on a Monday, followed by Boxing Day on the Tuesday – another bank holiday. There will then be 3 work days – the 3 you will book from December 27 to 29 – and then a weekend and another bank holiday – New Year’s Day.
Days off work: 10
Holiday days remaining: 5
So, in summary -these are the exact dates you need to book off in order to get 55 days off
- April 2017: 18, 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28
- May 2017: 30, 31
- June 2017: 1, 2
- August 2017: 29, 30, 31
- September 2017: 1
- December 2017: 27, 28, 29
This still gives you an entire working week to book off whenever you want.
Now before you get excited and reach for your holiday request form, most companies work on a first-come, first-served basis or they put “operational needs” before your much-desired beach holiday.
But if you really hate your job that much then it might be time to leave and find something else but if all you can think about is fun in the sun then you better hope your colleagues aren’t reading this and have submitted their holiday requests before you!
