CHRISTMAS offers the final – and most effective – opportunity of the year to stretch out annual leave.
Taking clever advantage of the Christmas Bank Holiday, Brits can enjoy more work-free time, getting up to 10 days by using only three days of annual leave.
Following recent research showing that 39% of workers in England plan to go on holiday in the last three months of the year, Nigel Frank, a Tenth Revolution Group company, has figured out how holidaymakers can effectively double their time off this winter.
With the Christmas Bank Holiday on Monday, (December 25) and Boxing Day (Tuesday December 26), workers in Scotland can take off the Wednesday to Friday after the holiday to triple their annual leave, turning three days into 10 for a work-free festive season. And if they can also take off the remainder of the week following New Year’s Day (Monday, January 1), this extends the run to a whopping 16 days.
This holiday hack applies to workers in Scotland entitled to bank holidays as part of their employment contract and who normally work Monday-Friday.
| Date (2023) | Holiday Name | Number of Days Annual Leave Required | Days to Book Off | Consecutive Days Away From Work |
| 30-Nov | St Andrew’s Day | 4 | Monday 26 November – Wednesday 29 November, Friday 1 December | 9 |
| 25-Dec | Christmas Day | 3 | Wednesday 27 December – Friday 29 December | 10 |
| 26-Dec | Boxing Day | 3 | Wednesday 27 December – Friday 29 December | 10 |
| 1-Jan | New Year’s Day | 3 | Wednesday 3 January – Friday 5 January | 9 |
| 2-Jan | 2nd January | 3 | Wednesday 3 January – Friday 5 January | 9 |
| Combo: Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day + 2nd January | 6 | Wednesday 27 December – Friday 29 December, Tuesday 2 January – Friday 5 January | 16 |
After three consecutive years of Christmas and Boxing Day falling on weekends and resulting in substitute bank holidays, 2023 breaks the trend and brings the festivities on their rightful days with no need for rescheduling.
A travel company, Travel Counsellors report, shows that 38% of workers value holidays more than before the pandemic.
With 76% of professionals impacted by stress and reporting moderate-to-high or high-stress levels, Zoë Morris, President of Nigel Frank, explains how holidays allow employees time to de-stress, unwind and relax away from the hustle and bustle that working life can generate.
“Taking prolonged spells away from work using holiday hacks presents the opportunity for employees to recharge their batteries throughout the year without using up as much of their annual allowance.”
According to Zoe, employee wellbeing is an essential element in sustaining a successful workforce – and a healthy work-life balance is a core component of that wellbeing.
“Employers should do more to encourage a healthier balance. Simple acts such as sending out an e-mail reminder for employees to use their annual leave, or having managers openly discuss the benefits of using holidays, even if it’s just to spend some time at home relaxing, can go a long way towards achieving this, as it communicates to employees that your business values their wellbeing.”
2024 Bank Holiday: Scots can get 64 days off work by only using 24 days of annual leave
| Date (2024) | Holiday Name | Number of Days Annual Leave Required | Days to Book Off | Consecutive Days Away From Work |
| 1-Jan | New Year’s Day | 3 | Wednesday 3 January – Friday 5 January | 9 |
| 2-Jan | 2nd January | 3 | Wednesday 3 January – Friday 5 January | 9 |
| Combo: Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day + 2nd January | 6 | Wednesday 27 December – Friday 29 December, Tuesday 2 January – Friday 5 January | 16 | |
| 6-May | Early May Bank Holiday | 4 | Tuesday 7 May – Friday 10 May | 9 |
| 27-May | Spring | 4 | Tuesday 9 May – Friday 12 May | 9 |
| Combo: Early May Bank Holiday + Spring | 8 | Tuesday 2 May – Friday 5 May, Tuesday 9 May – Friday 12 May | 16 | |
| 7-Aug | Summer Bank Holiday | 4 | Tuesday 8 August – Friday 11 August | 9 |
| 2- Dec | St. Andrew’s Day(Substitute Day) | 4 | Tuesday 3 December- Friday 6 December | 9 |
| 25-Dec | Christmas Day | 3 | Wednesday 27 December – Friday 29 December | 10 |
| 26-Dec | Boxing Day | 3 | Wednesday 27 December – Friday 29 December | 10 |
Methodology
Holiday data was collected from the Scottish Government website
