A third of companies have admitted they would be willing to cancel staff holidays if they were experiencing a busy period, according to a survey.

The finding comes despite 87 per cent of bosses also saying they believe annual leave does improve efficiency levels in employees.

Recruitment company Adecco conducted the study, which revealed 31 per cent of employers do not have appropriate systems in place to find adequate cover when workers do go on holiday.

It also found that 37 per cent of organisations enforced an approach where workers would be unable to roll unused holidays over to the next year – effectively meaning that they have to use it or lose it.

Managing director of Adecco’s retail division Alex Fleming said: “It is surprising that such a high number of employers regularly struggle with holiday leave without doing anything to combat the problem.”

He added that “good planning and forward-thinking” would go some way towards fostering a happier workplace, with both employers and employees benefiting from clarity as to how much notice should be given in order to ensure holidays will not be cancelled at the last minute.

Another recent study by Global Market Insite found that more staff are now still keeping in touch with their workplace even when they are on holiday.

Thanks to improving technology, over a quarter of employees are making the most of mobile working in order to keep on top of emails. The study also found that eight per cent of workers would intend to call the office while they are away.

Comparing genders, men were more likely to stay connected to their work than women.

A further two per cent of people even said they would participate in conference calls or manage a work project from the beach.

However, the majority of people – 70 per cent – said they intended to sever all ties while on annual leave.