Relaxing on holiday should be easy, but more than half of British travellers (55%) find it hard to switch off from work and rely on their laptops and Blackberries to keep in contact with the office, new research from Hotels.com has revealed. Hotels.com research among 2,167 travellers has revealed that in tough economic times, people are finding it harder than ever to switch off, and want to feel they are at work even when they are…
Relaxing on holiday should be easy, but more than half of British travellers (55%) find it hard to switch off from work and rely on their laptops and Blackberries to keep in contact with the office, new research from Hotels.com has revealed.
Hotels.com research among 2,167 travellers has revealed that in tough economic times, people are finding it harder than ever to switch off, and want to feel they are at work even when they are not. On a one week break, Brits now spend the equivalent of one day in the office (seven hours on average) meaning just under a quarter of a billion hours are lost each year by travellers working when they are supposed to be relaxing on holiday.
The research established that there are three types of holiday workers. Of those who do admit to taking time out of their holidays to work, a quarter (26%) are emergency browsers – checking in only to deal with urgent issues; another quarter (24%) are sun lounger surfers who check in with the office at least every other day; and more than a third (35%) are compulsive mailers who feel the need to be in constant contact with the office, logging on at least once a day or more.
Reasons for working on holiday
In total 60% of those who work on holiday are doing so for reasons relating to their job security, Hotels.com found. While one quarter (28%) felt that beach emailing “saved time when back in the office” and one in ten (12%) wanted to ensure their colleagues were coping without them, the rest admitted it had more to do with job security, citing reasons such as “I want the office to see that I’m passionate about my job.”
Reasons given for working on holiday
Reason for ‘holiday guilt’ % of Brits
– I like to keep up with what is going on 37
– It saves me time when I get back into the office 29
– I find it hard to switch off 13
– I want to make sure that my colleagues are managing 12
– I’m worried about my job security 5
– I don’t trust my colleagues to pick up my work 3
– I want the office to see that I’m passionate about my job 2
According to The Work Foundation, ‘holiday guilt’ can be explained by the UK’s long-hours culture which gives rise to insecurity and ‘presenteeism’. It is perceived that being seen and heard will lead to promotion and job safety, whereas those away from the office might miss out. Checking in with the office and not trusting others to look after things in their absence can be seen as an effort to show that they are indispensable.
Alison Couper, Communications Director for Hotels.com, said: ‘’Holidays are meant to be a time to relax and switch off from work. Designating a “blackberry hour”, agreed with your partner, is one way of avoiding arguments but the ideal solution is to leave the office behind you and make the most of your holiday.”
Hotels.com findings also include:
- Secret emailers: Just over a quarter (26%) admit that they won’t check their emails or make any calls in front of their partners, friends or children for fear of upsetting them – nearly one in ten (9%) have admitted that doing so often results in an argument.
- Logging on all over the world: Holidaymakers are not fussy about where they log on with 40% happy to take calls or respond to emails when sitting by the pool. Other places Brits have checked their email or voicemail include:
– At the beach (30%)
– On a boat (16%)
– Up a mountain (11%)
– At a water park (3%)
- The French are Europe’s workaholics (68%), followed by the Irish who also find it hard to switch off (67%).
- Despite worries about job security, the British are actually the most likely to cut ties to the office and relax (55%), as are the Danes (60%).
Working on holiday across Europe
Country % who work on holiday
France 68
Ireland 67
Germany 66
Norway 64
Sweden 62
Spain 61
Denmark 60
UK 55.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales. She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
