Employees in Romania believe they need an average of ten consecutive days of holiday, including weekends, to fully recharge, a shorter period than the European average of 13 days, according to the international HR & Payroll Pulse 2026 study conducted by SD Worx among 16,500 employees in 16 European countries.

According to the study, more than half of Romanian employees (52%) say that a holiday of between seven and 14 days is the minimum period they need to fully recover. Almost a quarter (23%) consider less than seven days sufficient, while 15% need more than two weeks. One in ten employees cannot estimate the required duration.

At present, Romanian employees receive an average of 24 days of paid leave per year. Ideally, based on the realistic demands of their jobs, they would like approximately 31 days - more than six days above their current entitlement.

Almost two thirds of respondents (64%) believe that an ideal annual holiday period should amount to at least 30 days.

'The results show that recovery depends not only on the total number of holiday days, but also on employees' ability to use them in a way that meets their needs. A period long enough to disconnect, combined with breaks spread throughout the year, can support wellbeing and the ability to concentrate. For employers, the challenge is to provide flexibility while maintaining business continuity and a balanced workload within teams,' SD Worx Romania General Manager Ciprian Chiorean is quoted as saying.

Approximately 80% of Romanian employees have to request holiday before taking it. For these employees, the average notice period for submitting a request is 29 days, compared with the European average of 39 days. The other 20% say they do not have to request holiday in advance.

'Planning ahead allows organisations to anticipate busy periods and distribute responsibilities more effectively. At the same time, the process needs to remain sufficiently flexible for employees to take holiday when they genuinely need to recover. Team dialogue and clear rules are essential to finding this balance,' Ciprian Chiorean added.

Only 57% of Romanian employees say they managed to take all their holiday entitlement over the past year. Nearly 28% did not manage to do so, while 15% took a neutral position.

At the same time, 54% believe they can take time off without creating additional pressure for themselves or their colleagues. For 21%, however, being absent from work creates a different situation.

Managers continue to play an important role: 45% of respondents feel encouraged by their manager to take holiday regularly, while 26% do not perceive such support.

'The data show that having holiday entitlement does not automatically guarantee that it will be used. The way work is organised, teams' ability to temporarily take over responsibilities and managers' attitudes all influence employees' actual experience. Organisations can support recovery through clear rules, advance planning for busy periods, balanced distribution of tasks and encouraging employees to use their holiday without feeling guilty,' the study's authors conclude.

SD Worx is a European provider of HR and payroll services.

The study was conducted between 27 January and 20 February 2026 in 16 European countries (Belgium, Germany, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Croatia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, the United Kingdom and Sweden) by the SD Worx Research Institute. A total of 5,936 HR decision-makers and 16,500 employees were surveyed, including nearly 1,000 from Romania. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Oana Tilica; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)