South Africans are, undoubtedly, some of the hardest working employees worldwide, with some reports ranking South Africa at the fourth-highest position on the list of countries where employees work more than 50 hours a week.
With most employees entitled to just 15 days of paid leave per year, and some companies stipulating that you must take the bulk of that leave over the annual shutdown period (usually mid to end December), the result is eleven long months of all work and no play. But it doesn’t have to be!
Shaun Lamont, Managing Director of First Group Hotels and Resorts believes that nobody can function at their best when they are exhausted and in need of a break. But short of taking unpaid leave (which isn’t an option for most), how can you get away for some R and R more often than once a year? Shaun explains that by cleverly applying for a day’s leave here and there, you can take full advantage of the days you are given to carve out the much-needed downtime you deserve and work hard for.
Shaun offers these Annual Leave hacks that will help relax more and work less in 2024:
March:
Need some time off sooner than Easter? Look no further than Monday 21 March, Human Right’s Day. Take off the previous Friday (17 March) and the Monday (20 March) and get five days off, for the price of two!
Human Right’s Day: 21 March
Holiday Dates: 17 March – 21 March
Days to take leave: Friday, 17 March; Monday, 20 March
Days off:
- 2 days leave
- 5 days off
April/May
Score an extra-long weekend over Easter, simply by taking two days leave on either side of the Easter weekend – prior to Good Friday (6 April) and/or after Family Day/Easter Monday (11 April).
Easter: 7 – 10 April
Holiday Dates: 6 April – 11 April
Days to take leave: Thursday, 6 April; Tuesday, 11 April
Days off:
- 2 days leave
- 6 days off
With Freedom Day (27 April) falling on a Thursday, if you take leave on 28 April you’ll get five days off, as Worker’s Day, 1 May is also a holiday!
Freedom Day: 27 April
Worker’s Day: 1 May
Holiday Dates: 27 April – 1 May
Day to take leave: Friday, 28 April
Days off:
- 1-day leave
- 5 days off
June
Youth Day falls on a Friday (16 June), so take Thursday (15 June) and Monday (19 June) off to celebrate another five-day weekend.
Youth Day: 16 June
Holiday Dates: 15 June – 19 June
Days to take leave: Thursday, 15 June; Monday, 19 June
Days off:
- 2 days leave
- 5 days off
August
Apply for leave for Thursday and Friday (10 -11 August) as 9 August is National Women’s Day, so you’ll get ANOTHER five-day stretch here.
National Women’s Day: 9 August
Holiday Dates: 9 August – 13 August
Days to take leave: Thursday 10 August and Friday, 11 August
Days off:
- 2 days leave
- 5 days off
December
Business note shutting down in December? You can take five annual leave days (15 December – 18 December; 23 December – 1 January 2024) and enjoy a two-week holiday!
Reconciliation Day: 16 December
Christmas Day: 25 December
Boxing Day: 26 December
New Year’s Day: 1 January 2024
Holiday Dates: 15 December – 18 December and 23 December to 1 January 2024
Days to take leave: 15 December and 18 December; 27 December – 29 December
Days off:
- 5 days leave
- 14 days off
“By simply squeezing the most out of our public holidays, you can easily craft lovely long weekends that are sure to be filled with magical, lasting memories. You work hard for your leave, shouldn’t your leave work hard for you?” Shaun concludes.
For great ideas of where to enjoy your hard-earned leave, visit www.firstgroup-sa.co.za.