UK Employees Can Avoid Burnout by Booking Strategic Leave Days in 2021

Strategically booking upcoming long weekends and bank holidays can help you maximise time off in 2021 with longer stretches of time off to de-stress and relax.

In good news, we might even have an extra bank holiday to look forward to in 2021.

Almost 41,000 people have already signed a government petition to create a one-off bank holiday on 21st June to celebrate the end of lockdown. Google searches for June 21st have already spiked by 80% as more people anticipate the easing restrictions. At 100,000 signatures, the petition may be debated in Parliament and the UK might have another holiday to add to our strategic leave calendar. See below for more details!

Why Book Regular Leave?

Taking regular breaks helps to improve work-life balance, which benefits mental and physical health. This translates to more creativity, higher productivity, and better overall job satisfaction. And chances are, you’re overdue for a break! While working from home is certainly a change from the norm, it’s not the same as time off, and has not necessarily improved work-life balance for most Brits. In fact, only 44% of people report feeling happy in the second half of 2020, compared to 75% who feel stressed and frustrated.

The post-lockdown workplace is also experiencing a backlog of annual leave requests. This is causing a bottleneck which may lead to you saving some leave days up for 2021 instead.
To make the most of your days off, there are some smart ways you can book leave to make sure you get maximum downtime in exchange for minimal time away from your desk.

How Much Annual Leave Could an Extra Bank Holiday Give You? 

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January

Bank holidays in December and January are:

• Friday 25 December: Christmas Day
• Saturday 26 December: Boxing Day
• Friday 1 January: New Year’s Day

Take leave during the week between Christmas and New Year and you’ll get a 10-day holiday by booking just 3 days off.

April

Easter celebrations mean a long weekend in early April. Bank holidays in April are:

• Friday 2 April: Good Friday
• Monday 5 April: Easter Monday

By booking annual leave from 6 to 12 April, you can enjoy a 10-day holiday with just 4 days off.

May

There are 2 holidays coming up in May:

• Monday 3 May: Early May bank holiday
• Monday 31 May: Spring bank holiday

This is a great opportunity to take a springtime break. Take May 4 to 10 off, and you’ll get a 9-day holiday by booking 4 days off work. Or book a mini-break for the last weekend in May and take a 3-day trip without using any annual leave!

June

If enough people petition the government to make June 21st a bank holiday, you could book four days of work to enjoy a nine day holiday!

August/ September

Monday 30 August is the Summer bank holiday. That means you can take a holiday from 28 August to 6 September, giving you a 9-day break using only 4 days of holiday leave.

December / Jan 2022

Book 3 days off to get 10 as we head into January 2022.