1. Take a holiday!

British workers said they did not take all of their annual leave allowance last year because their workload was too heavy to take the day(s) off.

These findings are uncovered in a major new YouGov survey of British workers’ attitudes to holiday and absence commissioned by the business information services company, Wolters Kluwer in the UK.While 13% said they felt they couldn’t take the time off and 4% were worried what their work would think if they took off the day(s).

2. Pension Plan!

According to Ms Tina Weeks, founder of Serenity Financial Planning in London, too many company directors and owners of small to medium-sized businesses were failing to plan for their retirement, and she said “their excuses cannot be justified”.

With auto-enrolment staging dates for small and medium-sized companies on the horizon, Ronnie Taylor, pensions and investments director for Scottish Widows, agreed with Ms Weeks and Mr Imrie that bosses could not leave it to the last minute to get themselves, and their staff, ready.

3. Train

Many business owners are training their staff but what about themselves? There are many online studies showing that there are a high percentage of leaders that need training to ensure they are up to date with their sector and staying ahead of their competitors in all aspects of the company.

4. Tax Planning

Business owners have been found to be too busy to look at their tax situation and as all advisors will say, it is harder to recommend tax cuts once the year ends.

It is strongly recommended that all business owners take the time to speak to their tax advisor on a regular basis to help them save £’s!

5. Business Systems

Here at Applied Business Solutions we regularly hear that business leaders do not have the time to review their business systems. Financial software as well as IT infrastructure is crucial for all businesses regardless of size.

It is recommended to review your systems annually due to the launch of new, comprehensive, software applications that can save your company time and money.

Do you work a lot or a little? Go to the BBC site and find out how you compare with the average employee in your own country, and the average across 34 developed nations.