67% of Hong Kong professionals do not take all their holiday allowance
According to a recent survey of 330 professionals conducted by recruitment consultancy Robert Walters, 67 per cent of Hong Kong professionals do not take all their holiday allowance. This is a relatively low figure judging by the fact that work-life balance has become such an important issue for working professionals in recent years.
Matthew Bennett, Country Manager, Robert Walters Hong Kong says:
“The fast pace of life in makes it difficult to take time out for holidays. We have observed a trend for employees to take mini breaks of up to three days rather than two weeks at a go. One main reason is the competitive work environment in where taking a long break at a stretch could potentially put you behind competitors. Such competitive work environments may lead to higher incidences of employees taking medical leave due to stress and work-related issues. Companies should therefore encourage more work-life balance for the employees’ benefit and as a good talent retention strategy.”
The survey also shows that 39 per cent of the respondents took between 50 and 75 per cent while 27 per cent took between zero and 25 per cent of their holiday allowance.
Globally, the countries with the highest percentage of professionals taking all their holiday allowance are Thailand (57 per cent), Germany (56 per cent), Ireland (56 per cent), New Zealand (54 per cent) and UK (54 per cent).
Percentage breakdown of Hong Kong respondents:
Question: Approximately, how much of your holiday allowance did you take in 2010?
Response Total %
100% 110 33.3
75% 120 36.4
50% 10 3.0
25% 50 15.2
None 40 12.1
About Robert Walters – Robert Walters Plc is one of the world’s largest professional recruitment consultancies, with the largest recruitment team focusing on sales and marketing jobs in Hong Kong.
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