The survey of more than 750 employees revealed that 45% of those who did not take their full allocation felt under pressure to work to meet tight deadlines or had holiday turned down due to working schedules.
Additionally, 10% said they were prevented from taking more holiday because they felt it would damage their chances in any future decisions over pay rises and promotions.
One-third of respondents said they were not able to accommodate the holiday they wanted to take because of pressures in the workplace. For 6%, guilt at leaving colleagues to pick up their workload was also a factor.
Robert Walters director of HR recruitment Colin Loth said employees who are able to take their full holiday allocation are less prone to burnout and "more motivated to keep up high productivity levels".
"As an employer, there are clear steps you can take to help staff plan for their holidays," he added.
"Allocating time to scheduling projects and organising cover well in advance will give them the opportunity to fully ‘switch off’ while away, and ultimately return to the office feeling properly refreshed.”??
