Three quarters of employees admit to taking work on holiday with them ⁰

More evidence if we needed it that people are reluctant to leave work behind, with the latest data from Peninsula revealing that 76 percent of employees admit to taking work on holiday with them. An even greater number make themselves available by email and phone, with 81 percent confessing to frequently responding to work emails and answering phone calls during their holiday. This apparently, does not lead to a happy holiday as nearly half (47 percent) admit that their partner is not best pleased that they have to deal with work issues whilst on annual leave. As we reported earlier this week, this form of presenteeism is a bad idea all round as it leads to over stressed staff who – far from relaxing and recharging, are basically on call throughout their so-called leave, and whether their bosses or colleagues are impressed or just irritated by their dedication is debatable.

Alan Price, HR Director of Peninsula said: “It would appear that taking a holiday is no longer about escaping from the grind of your daily routine, but instead involves balancing your time enjoying the sun with keeping on top of your workloads.”

Price continues, “This is not just true of employers anymore; even employees find it difficult to detach themselves from their working life. Many employees find themselves unable to fully relax on holiday as they are worried about falling behind on deadlines and prefer to stay ahead of their heavy workloads. This can result in employees returning to work feeling more stressed than when they left.”

“Employees should remember that work will not fall apart without them. The key to enjoying their holiday without work worries is good preparation. If employees plan ahead with tasks that need to be completed and delegate them appropriately, everything should run smoothly and efficiently whilst they are away.”

Price concludes, “Employers should encourage staff to enjoy their annual leave and not stress about work related issues. Not only will this benefit employees who will return to work replenished, but employers will see a positive difference in levels of productivity and creativity.”