Britons waste 13.5 million days a year waiting for tradespeople

Britons collectively waste £1.1 billion worth of annual leave each year waiting at home for deliveries and tradespeople, an insurer has claimed.

Churchill Home Insurance said that its research showed that 35 per cent of employees took time off last year to stay in for deliveries and tradespeople, meaning that as a nation, the UK took almost 13.5 million days off for this purpose.

Meanwhile, 15 per cent of employees have taken unpaid time off work to wait in, costing them an average of £116 each in lost wages per year. Around three per cent of workers have taken a 'sickie' to wait in for tradespeople or deliveries in the last year, losing employers more than £103 million annually.

The main reason householders like to wait in is to monitor tradespeople while they work (77 per cent), while nine per cent like to be there to let them in or check deliveries. However, insurance companies can often recommend reputable tradesmen, the head of Churchill Home Insurance, Martin Scott, said.

He commented: "Our research clearly shows there is a hidden cost to householders when having repairs undertaken or receiving deliveries which few of us consider.

"In an emergency, home insurers often offer helplines providing contact details of reputable tradesmen even if a claim isn't being made."

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