BBC CAPITAL: Boring office wellness alternatives that actually work

Description

But the effects are unproven. “From a PR point of view, it’s great,” says Cary Cooper, professor of organisational psychology at Manchester Business School. But he adds: “We don’t know if people take it up.”

Taking holiday is beneficial for both businesses and workers: a 2015 study found that employees who take all their mandated holiday time improve their chances of getting promoted and a pay rise by 6.5%, compared to those who leave 11 or more days of their entitlement untouched.

However, as humans we like rules, and instigating an all-you-can-take approach to holidays at work can cause employees anxiety. “You know structurally what’s happening when you’re told you get four or five weeks off,” says Cooper. Different line managers may have different approaches to taking time off, and employees can’t decipher that.