Indians are gradually turning into workaholics, unable to detach themselves from their profession. Scared of asking for holidays in hopes of winning the rat race to achieve their goals, they tend to work round the clock. The need for vacations which although seems like a luxury is in fact a necessity for most of the employees with the amount of work pressure and resultant stress that they feel and yet ignore in this fast paced generation. Therefore, its essential to encourage colleagues to take a holiday so as to maintain a healthy state of mind
A recent survey undertaken by British Airways has found that a vast majority of Indians are not utilising their holiday allowance due to work commitments, often fearing stigmas and ultimately losing out on valuable time away from work. Conducted with 2,006 respondents in India between December 20, 2017 and January 4, 2018, the study reveals that 65 per cent of employed adults have had leftover holiday allowance at the end of last year, as over half of them (55 per cent) were too occupied with work while close to 30 per cent were caught in vices of guilt over using all their holidays.
While there are not many words in the dictionary that invoke as many positive emotions as the word ‘holiday’ — which brings together happiness, rejuvenation and much more. Nearly 60 per cent expressed their discontent for not being able to completely ‘switch off’ during their vacation. The word ‘holiday’ might thus seem to be serving against its purpose. Nearly 32 per cent attributed this to the short duration of the break, about 11 per cent said that they dreaded the thought of returning to the grind and 59 per cent wished they had spent more time on vacation.
This indicates that many Indians, facing the pressure of work responsibilities and changing priorities, are unable to fully detach, detract and take a step back. According to the study, 16 per cent of the workforce begins to panic about using up holiday days in the month of December. Yet, approximately 97 per cent have rolled over holiday days, out of which 49 per cent spend the day at home. Around 34 per cent are usually embroiled in work and 27 per cent have all the time blocked for administrative responsibilities.
Diving deep to understand the reasons behind diminishing holidays, British Airways found that despite a fixed holiday entitlement stipulated by organisations, most employees refrain from taking leave due to the stereotypes attached to it. On average, employed adults in India get 17 days paid holiday days per year. Despite that, 42 per cent are often concerned with the mounting load of the work while the other 26 per cent are unable to find the time to disengage from the official responsibilities. Close to 30 per cent are unable to summon the courage to ask for leave, as a large share believes that two-week holidays are frowned upon or discouraged by their workplace.
Indians, however, did exhibit an upward trend in vacations taken globally, topped by only the Japanese who took eight trips abroad in 2017. This is a testament to the prolific spending propensity of the people, the unwavering will to explore cultures and the shrinking borders of the world, made accessible with convenient and affordable air travel.
According to the survey, the issue of untaken holidays appears to stand as a global phenomenon. The majority of the workforce in places like Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore believe that holidays are condemned and discouraged in offices. As a matter of fact, even while on break, 72 per cent of the people in Singapore complained that they couldn’t fully switch off and 59 per cent of the respondents in Hong Kong wished they had spent more time on vacation.