Industria
Employment Hero's 2025 work review: UK workers pushed to the limit yet still finding reasons to enjoy their jobs
On average, UK workers have taken 19 days of annual leave so far* in 2025. December - driven largely by people booking time off around the holidays - saw the highest volume of leave taken, with workers typically securing those days months in advance.
Long weekends are still a firm favourite, with Fridays 20% more likely to be booked off, followed by Mondays. In fact, the Thursday before Good Friday was the most popular day outside the festive season* showing how people were keen to maximise on days off in and around public holidays.
Despite this, a more worrying trend sits beneath the surface: when people did take time off, it wasn't always a real break. A quarter didn't use all their allocated leave in 2025 and 44% felt pressured to keep working during their time off. This pressure is heaviest on younger workers, with 52% of 18-34s feeling unable to disconnect, compared with 36% of those aged 45+.
While December sees increased leave and has historically been viewed as a wind-down month ahead of festivities, Employment Hero's data reveals it has now been dubbed 'Survival Season' - the most stressful time of the year for UK workers - followed by January.
When annual leave doesn't feel like a real break, workers turn elsewhere. Between January and October, employees took 7 sick days on average, rising steadily with age - from 7 days for 18-24s to 14 days for over-55s. London , often viewed as the country's most fast-paced working hub, tops the table for the highest number of sick days taken.
The data points to a surprising shift: 'sickies' are becoming a survival tactic.
When asked why, burnout topped the list. Nearly half (49%) said they took a sick day because they felt mentally or emotionally exhausted, while 39% said they felt overwhelmed and needed a break. Younger workers are driving this trend, whereas older workers are far more likely to use sick days for life admin or personal errands. Meanwhile, 14% have used a sick day to attend a social event and nearly one in ten (9%) stretched it into a long weekend.
The data suggests that UK workers are increasingly turning to sick days as a way to truly switch off.
Despite the strain, nearly 7 in 10 (69%) workers say they actually enjoyed their job this year. Self-employed and freelance workers were the happiest of all, with 83% saying they enjoyed their work in 2025. Londoners also saw a notable lift in mood, with enjoyment up 14% vs 2024.
When asked what work means to them - nearly half (48%) said that work is a key part of their identity, while four in ten (40%) workers said they would carry on working even if they won the lottery.
The Monthly Employment Hero Jobs Report is powered by data directly drawn from the Employment Hero platform, reflecting the SME labour market of the UK's resident population aged 18 years and over, from close to 5,000 businesses and 105,000 employees.
Employment Hero commissioned leading research provider One Poll to survey 1,000 UK workers. The survey was conducted as a one-off study between 11th-17th November to understand experiences and attitudes towards work in 2025.
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