UK’s police officers lose out on almost 300,000 hours’ holiday each year

The UK's police force is risking burnout, as employees are failing to take more than 296,395 hours of entitled annual leave – equivalent to more than 33 years! - WhosOffice has discovered.

We asked police forces across the country to share their unclaimed holiday data, under the Freedom of Information Act (2000). Of the UK’s 41 regional forces, 23 responded, confirming that most constabularies are off the beat when it comes to taking a break; 296,395 hours of leave were left unused in the 2018/19 financial year.

Members of the UK police force frequently go above and beyond to ensure public safety, and for that we are truly grateful. However, their commitment to the job could be to the detriment of their health – with many officers and clerical staff failing to use their full holiday entitlement.

Major reform needed around holiday

Although Britain’s Bobbies aren’t obliged to take their full leave allowance, over-commitment can adversely affect performance. By not taking a break, employees are more likely to experience stress and fatigue, leading to general burnout and an increased number of absences due to illness. They may also be less productive at work, and even begin to resent their job.

With police numbers at their lowest levels since the early 1980s, the skills of every officer are needed more than ever – so senior constabulary leaders need to take the issue of unclaimed annual leave seriously.

Both police officers and back-office staff in the UK’s regional forces should be encouraged to use their full holiday entitlement. This will create a better work/life balance and give dedicated, diligent staff a chance to recharge their batteries; then they can keep the country’s streets as safe as possible when they’re back on duty.

Serving less time when managing holiday requests

To help essential services like the police force look after their key workers, WhosOffice is dedicated to taking the time out of both planning shifts and managing time off.

Our online holiday planner and rostering tools digitise every aspect of workforce management – from planning shifts to requesting time off and detecting holiday calendar clashes.

To help organisations manage teams effectively both on and off duty, WhosOffice gives senior personnel complete visibility of everyone’s holiday record. This means they can easily see who isn’t using up their leave, and urge them to start booking days off before they lose that time at the end of the holiday year.

To take the time out of planning shifts and managing leave, try WhosOffice for free.

Model behaviour from Cheshire and Northamptonshire

Despite many forces being found guilty of poor leave management, some parts of the UK have a clean record when it comes to taking time off.

Police employees in Cheshire Constabulary and Northamptonshire Police recorded zero unclaimed holiday hours in the 2018/19 financial year. The rest of Britain’s forces could learn from their model behaviour!

UK police force unclaimed holiday hours FY18/19: full data report

Photos by Pixabay, Dom J of Pexels.com