Bully bosses force workers to cancel holiday
21 August 2007
The holiday season is now upon us and thousands of workers across the country are heading off on their annual summer leave. But according to a new survey, a quarter of UK employees have at some point been forced to cancel their long awaited annual leave following demands from their employers.
The research, conducted by Europe’s largest anti workplace-bullying project, the Dignity at Work Partnership, found that 25 per cent of employees in Britain have been placed under sufficient pressure by senior colleagues to force them to cancel time booked as holiday from work.
Preventing employees from taking annual leave is an abuse of power by the employer, according to Mandy Telford, Dignity at Work coordinator for trade union Unite (formerly Amicus). ‘Every worker in the UK is entitled to annual leave and removing this right is a form of bullying and can lead to unnecessary stress.’
30 per cent of men compared with 24 per cent of women in the UK have been asked to cancel their leave, with greater pressure placed on those in the 16 – 24 age range. This indicates that a greater level of pressure is put upon young professionals embarking on their careers.
The amount of leave cancelled varies significantly by sector: the survey found it to be more prevalent in telecoms, manufacturing, engineering and finance, while in the travel industry it occurred far less.
“Many workplaces are keen to promote themselves as ethical employers, giving due attention to issues which affect their employees, such as a work-life balance,” says Mandy.
“Unfortunately while they may talk the talk, it appears that far too many are failing to deliver, with unreasonably large percentages of the population cancelling annual leave due to pressure from senior colleagues.
“Our project aims to tackle workplace bullying and improve working environments for employees in Britain. Dignity at Work aims to show employers the financial impact of stress caused by the inability to have a break from work and to encourage them to honour commitments to employees when time off is booked.’
Dignity at Work is a co-funded project between the trade union Unite (formerly Amicus) and the DTI. For further information about Dignity at Work and this research please visit the website at dignityatwork.org/contact-us.htm
