8 in 10 workers want an October Bank Holiday

8 in 10 workers want an October Bank Holiday, whilst nearly 7 in 10 employees foresee working on Christmas Day a sad reality

- 92% of employees think that there should be at least one new Bank Holiday

- 79% of employees would like an extra Bank Holiday to fall in October

- 67% of employees fear that Christmas Day will no longer be a day off in the near future

79% workers want an extra bank holiday in October according to 4255 workers polled by Peninsula the employment law firm. The survey showed a resounding 92% of all respondents agreed that there should be at least one new Bank Holiday per year.

Peter Done, Managing Director of Peninsula said today, Autumn nights, colder days and the fact that Christmas seems so far away makes it more appealing to workers for a Bank Holiday to be introduced in October. Providing an extra bank holiday during the year could potentially be a good way of keeping staff well motivated and rested which can help boost productivity; so maybe it's time for a sensible debate to discuss the needs of a extra bank holiday.

Done, continues: ìProviding Bank Holidays may mean rested employees but not everyone is going to agree. Employers may argue that productivity is at risk so sensible discussion would need to take place, looking at what effect, if any, time off will have on the economy. The general consensus is that a Bank Holiday would be welcomed in the autumn as it gives employees the opportunity to break up the time between August Bank Holiday and Christmas. However I don't think employees take into consideration the impact that time off will have on the economy and businesses. If workers really want a day off then maybe they should consider using a day from their holiday entitlement.î

ìHowever whether we should have an extra bank holiday is certainly causing some debate. Extra bank holidays could actually be good for productivity, with time off helping to deter stress at work hopefully resulting in less time off work due to illness which surely is a good thing for employers.î

Mr Done concludes: ìA decade ago, asking for more Bank Holidays and extra time off work to spend with the family would have been frowned upon; but in today's society of improved work / life balance it seems that employees are winning the battle of extended rights and time off work, but is it at the cost of employers?