There’s nothing quite like the feeling of relief that washes over you when you finally get to set that out-of-office email. You can shut your laptop and rest easy that you won’t have to think about a single spreadsheet, email or Zoom call for a while. But annual leave can often fly by much too fast. Before you know it, you’re back in the office, and while you may be a little more tanned, you probably are feeling just as stressed and tired as you were before you left.

If you’re smart about when you take your annual leave, though, you can actually make the most out of your time. Officeology has done some research and found the best times to book annual leave to maximise your time away from the office in 2024.

Why being smart about your annual leave matters

Making the most of your annual leave is important. According to one 2019 study, UK workers who don’t get enough holiday begin to lose motivation and become less productive. A 2020 study found that UK workers need time off every 43 days in order to avoid burnout.

“From an employee’s perspective, it’s important to make the most of your annual leave and use up your allowance each year to ensure a positive work-life balance,” says Adam Butler, workplace wellbeing expert at Officeology. “You’ll feel refreshed after your annual leave, meaning increased productivity levels and better focus at work.”

Butler also believes it’s important for employers to encourage their staff to make smart choices about how they use their annual leave. “It’s important that employers encourage their staff to take annual leave to avoid burnout and to ensure the wellbeing of their staff,” he says. “Staff will feel rejuvenated after having a break from work, meaning better productivity and quality of work in the long run.”

In other words, more time off is a win-win for everyone.

Annual leave hacks you need to try in 2024

Officeology has come up with an annual leave hack that will give you nearly two months (or eight weeks) off using just 21 days of leave. The strategy involves booking time off strategically around the bank holidays.

Here is a breakdown of Officeology’s suggestions for which days to take off in 2024:

Easter

Break: 23 March – 2 April

Time off: 9 days

Days to book off: 4 days (25, 26, 27, 28 March)

May bank holiday 1

Break: 4–12 May

Time off: 9 days

Days to book off: 4 days (7, 8, 9 ,10 May)

May bank holiday 2

Break: 25 May – 2 June

Time off: 9 days

Days to book off: 4 days (28, 29, 30, 31 May)

Autumn

Break: 24 August – 1 September

Time off: 9 days

Days to book off: 4 days (27, 28, 29, 30 August)

Winter

Break: December 21 - 31

Time 0ff: 11 days

Days to book off: 5 days (December 23, 24, 27, 30, 31)

The best news is, if you follow this plan, you’ll still only be using 21 days of annual leave, which leaves extra days that you could tack onto one of these suggested longer breaks, or use for one more quick break.

Images: Getty