Employees increasingly waiting until burnout before taking annual leave, expert warns

Employees could be waiting until they experience signs of burnout before taking annual leave, according to a workplace expert.

Rebecca Waller, head of design at Diamond Interiors, said workers often viewed annual leave as a reward for getting through busy periods rather than using regular breaks to help manage workplace stress.

She said: “Many people see annual leave as a reward for getting through a busy period, rather than something that helps prevent them from reaching that point in the first place.

“By the time you’re struggling to concentrate, feeling constantly exhausted or becoming irritable with colleagues, you’re often already experiencing the effects of prolonged workplace stress.

“Taking regular breaks throughout the year allows people to reset mentally before burnout begins to impact both their wellbeing and their performance.”

Waller said difficulty concentrating, mental exhaustion, irritability, declining motivation and making more mistakes than usual could indicate an employee was overdue a break.

Other signs included feeling overwhelmed by everyday workloads and finding it difficult to switch off outside working hours.

She also encouraged employers to create a workplace culture where staff felt able to use their annual leave without worrying about returning to an excessive workload or feeling guilty for taking time off.