One in five employees say they've misused annual leave policies amid growing job dissatisfaction

Irish Independent

15-05-2025

Payroll and HR service SD Worx Ireland surveyed 1,000 employees in Ireland to find that while 21pc of employees admitted to misusing the policies themselves, 40pc said their teams at work were faced with staff shortages due to growing absenteeism.
'This suggests that employees are not owning up to it, or their colleagues are overly suspicious,' the report said. 'It exposes some common grievances among employees in Ireland and found that almost half feel they are underpaid for the work that they do.'
The survey highlights that employees feel overworked with nearly half saying they face staff shortages and are struggling to keep up with their current workload.
People were not hopeful about work conditions improving – with around 48pc of the employees saying they expect their team to face worsening talent shortages over the coming years, very few of them felt like the skill gaps would be easy to fill.
This research highlights a growing sense of dissatisfaction among Ireland's workforce
However, most employees said they coped with the pressure by staying strict with their own workloads and schedules – 44pc said they were 'solely focusing on what is necessary and not working overtime'.
The survey also found that employees found ways to stay motivated – 63pc said they were passionate about their work despite their work environments.
Eimear Byrne, country leader at SD Worx Ireland, said Irish workers were also dissatisfied with the leadership at their workplaces.
'This research highlights a growing sense of dissatisfaction among Ireland's workforce. With 39pc of respondents saying their manager struggles with effective leadership, it's clear that many employees feel they're lacking valuable guidance and mentorship,' said Ms Byrne.
In the face of the rising pressures and lack of mentorship, the survey found that 44pc of the workers surveyed were currently looking for a new job. More than half of them find it difficult in the current labour market.
'We are now seeing a knock-on effect with more people actively seeking to change jobs and widespread concerns about staff shortages, as well as underpayment,' Ms Byrne said.
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Ireland is at full employment and organisations are facing a critical need to re-evaluate how they engage and support employees
'This comes as the EU Pay Transparency Directive is due to be transposed into Irish law in June 2026 – if done right, this could be an opportunity to alleviate employees' pay concerns and help to build trust.'
The EU Pay Transparency Directive which came into effect in June 2023 will require employers to disclose salary ranges on job advertisements.
Ms Byrne added that organisations would need to find new ways to support their workforce in light of rising dissatisfaction.
'Ireland is at full employment and organisations are facing a critical need to re-evaluate how they engage and support employees,' she said.
'The changing economic landscape is making businesses more conservative and they are under increased pressure to keep operations running smoothly, while trying to retain talent. With skills shortages and rising absenteeism in the mix, it's becoming harder to strike that balance.
'Now is the time to invest in people strategies and provide employees with the support, development opportunities, and workplace culture they need to thrive.'