“I think small business owners work incredibly hard throughout the year and often forego their own holidays to allow their staff to take time off and grow their business,” says Chris Earle, operations director at Unicom. Only nine percent of those surveyed believed there should be fewer bank holidays while 38 percent believe the current number is the correct amount.

Earle also praised SMEs for their forward thinking approach to business and staff, adding that while some businesses still see bank holidays as a reason for lost revenue, “these businesses are now a small minority where once they may have been a majority”.