A new program launched today by the Minister for Tourism  aims to encourage Australian workers to unlock some of the 123 million days of stockpiled annual leave and use it to holiday in Australia.

The No Leave, No Life program targets both employers and employees with information to help win the work/life battle and address the workplace issue of annual leave stockpiling. 

Tourism Australia Managing Director Geoff Buckley said if holidays go unused due to the pressures of the workplace and personal constraints, this will ultimately have a flow on effect to our domestic tourism industry. 

"Australian employees have accumulated a massive 123 million days of annual leave which is equal to $33 billion in wages," Mr Buckley said. "If we can unlock some of this leave and get people to use it to holiday in Australia it would be of great benefit to our $65 billion domestic tourism industry.

"In looking at the challenges facing domestic tourism it became apparent that if we were to get Australians travelling in Australia we actually need workers to start taking some of their stockpiled holiday leave.

"Annual leave stockpiling has become entrenched within Australia's workplace culture and it is our intention to work alongside the business community and with employees to change this trend through the No Leave, No Life program," Mr Buckley said.

One in four Australian, full-time employees have accrued 25 days or more of annual leave.  With serious implications for businesses, individuals and the Australian economy, annual leave stockpiling has become one of the hottest workplace issues. As the financial liability of business grows and the health and wellbeing of employees suffers, broader industries such as domestic tourism are also affected.

Mr Buckley said leave stockpilers are defined as Australians in full-time employment with 25 or more days of leave accrued.

"Stockpiling leave and not taking a break contributes to many workplace concerns such as productivity, staff retention, employee commitment and morale," Mr Buckley said.

"Not to mention the effects it has on individual's lives, such as increased stress, sick leave and the time they get to spend connecting with family and friends.

"Through No Leave, No Life we will be promoting the benefits that taking leave can deliver such as feeling refreshed, the chance to reconnect with family and friends, and being better placed to cope with the pressures of day-to-day life.

"We will also be talking to employers about addressing the most significant barriers to employees taking leave such as finding someone to cover for people on leave, increased workload before and after leave, as well as the dreaded email or in-tray overload when they return to work," Mr Buckley said.

Dr Peter Cotton, Director of Psychology Services, Health Services Australia, elaborates: "Not taking leave can often be associated with an increased risk of ‘burnout' and stress-related problems. There is a link between not taking leave and having a poor work-family balance."

Bruce Ritchie, editor of Men's Health adds, "There's nothing heroic about working ridiculous hours and going months without taking a break. Quite the opposite; there's a good chance such a crazy work ethic is making you less effective at work and less relaxed at home. This is why planning annual leave and taking holidays is so important."

Developed in conjunction with the business community the No Leave, No Life program will equip employees and employers with a range of resources and tools to help collaboratively tackle annual leave stockpiling.

The program's website - www.noleavenolife.com - has dedicated sections for both businesses and their workforces. The employees' section will help individuals and families understand the significant benefits of taking annual leave as well as offer inspirational ideas for Australian holidays and experiences. Whilst the employers' section will provide an insight into the barriers and pressures faced by employees that result in a reluctance to take annual leave and provide tools to help businesses support their staff in achieving a healthy work/life balance.

To emphasise the many types of holiday experiences available in Australia, employees will have the chance to win an Aussie holiday every week for eight weeks, through the website. The eight week promotion, launching to coincide with the start of the program, will offer one holiday per week and is open to anyone registering on the program's website**.

"Through No Leave, No Life, we want to encourage employees to come together and tackle this critical issue and in doing so, help us support the Australian economy by considering a domestic holiday this year," said Geoff Buckley, Managing Director, Tourism Australia.

* Roy Morgan, December 2008
** Terms and conditions apply; please see www.noleavenolife.com for full details