- 21% of Brits admit they do not care about the knock-on effect for their colleagues
- 28% of Brits have called in sick to watch a global TV event, such as The Super Bowl, The Oscars
- 39% of Brits unable to book off the time they wanted in 2017
A third (33%) of Brits have admitted to calling in sick to employers because they have been unable to book off their preferred holiday. The survey from flight booking site Kiwi.com went onto show that holiday clashes are the number one cause of office fall outs in 2018, with nearly 39% unable to book off the time they wanted in 2017.
Furthermore, of the Brits who admit to calling in sick after being refused annual leave, the other top reasons included going to a festival (26%), a wedding (16%) or a stag or hen do abroad (12%).Over a quarter (28%) of Brits admit to calling in sick due to staying up to watch a global event on TV including The Super Bowl or the Academy Award’s ceremony, all of which are set to take place in the coming weeks.
Colleagues clashing over time off topped the list of office disputes (62%), beating off grievances such as stealing food from the fridge (18%) and responsibility for making tea or coffee (13%).
The research states that nearly a quarter (22%) of UK employees have already used up their entire annual leave allowance, with Bottleneck booking said to be causing issues for other workers who are trying to plan their getaways for later in the coming year.
Respondents have also divulged that Bank Holiday hacks are the most common dates causing dispute (48%), followed by festival weekends (22%). Employees have been left reeling, as almost one in ten (9%) felt their boss prioritised his or hers own annual leave over theirs.
Alison Couper of said: “January has always been a very popular time of year for us to book our 2018 getaways – everyone likes to have something to cheer up the dark days, and who wouldn’t want to fly away from this island in the terrible weather! Our advice to employers would be to think carefully before refusing leave requests for special events such as weddings, as it appears it won’t stop some of us heading off on our travels either way.”
Top 5 reasons to call in sick in order to go on holiday
Rank |
Reason |
% |
1 |
A big sporting event |
29% |
2 |
A festival |
26% |
3 |
A wedding |
16% |
4 |
Extending a current holiday |
17% |
5 |
A stag/hen do |
12% |
Top annoyances in the workplace
Rank |
Office annoyances |
% |
1 |
Clashes overbooking annual leave |
62% |
2 |
Stealing food from the fridge |
18% |
3 |
Who’s making the tea/coffee |
13% |
4 |
Colleagues taking long lunch breaks |
4% |
5 |
Heating up fish in the microwave |
3% |