- 18% of secretarial and support professionals reported that they hadn’t used all of their annual leave last year.
- Among those who didn’t take all of their annual leave, a quarter did so because they were under pressure to complete a project or were too busy for it to be viable.
Research from the Robert Walters Career Lifestyle Survey1 has revealed that 18% of secretarial and support professionals did not take all of their annual leave, with 5% of survey respondents stating that they had taken none of their annual leave last year.
Shifting expectations of the role secretarial and support professionals need to perform has seen many staff in these roles taking on a broader range of responsibilities.
As a result, many are increasingly struggling to find the opportunity to take all of their annual leave.
Rebecca Gaden, Manager for secretarial and support recruitment at Robert Walters, comments:
“The role of secretarial and support staff is changing, with professionals in these positions expected to take on a growing number of responsibilities.”
“In particular, we have seen many employers looking for secretarial and support staff who can take on elements of project and office management, increasing pressure on staff in these roles.”
PRESSURE TO MEET DEADLINES DRIVES SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS TO FORGO ANNUAL LEAVE
The survey also found that, of those didn’t take their full annual leave allocation, almost a quarter did so because they were under pressure to complete a project or because their request for leave was refused.
Rebecca Gaden continues:
“While employers are coming to realise the critical role secretarial and support staff can play in the success of the business, they should not underestimate the importance of providing support to those staff to manage their workload.”
“Businesses looking to attract and retain top talent into secretarial and business support roles can give themselves an edge over competitors by putting policies in place to ensure a good work life balance, including actively encouraging staff to use their annual leave.”
“Failing to do so may not only mean that skilled professionals will be lost to rival employers but that the productivity and morale of staff who remain will decline.”
For further information, please contact Alan O’Doherty on alan.odoherty@robertwalters.com or 020 7509 8839
