Do your holidays blur with work duties?
The survey of over 3,500 travellers found that 40 per cent of Brits admit to checking their emails whilst away with half of respondents saying they check their emails daily or more when abroad.
Working on Holiday Causes Relationship Tension
And it doesn’t stop at emails – over two-thirds (38 per cent) of British workers claim to take and make work calls on holiday, which appears to be having a negative impact on our so-called break away, with a third admitting working on holiday makes their trip less enjoyable. However, Britons are still not as work-addicted as Italian respondents – 59 per cent of whom admit to checking work emails on holiday.
Perhaps an indication of increasing expectations at work - 12 per cent of Brits, 19 per cent of Germans and over a fifth of French and Italian workers say that employers expect them to be contactable and able to work on holiday if necessary. In turn this seems to be affecting our relationships too with 15 per cent of Brits admitting to having argued with a partner about working on holiday, second only to Germany at 19 per cent.
Vacation Deprivation
The TripAdvisor Working on Holiday survey also reveals that almost a third (30 per cent) of British workers do not take their full holiday allowance. However, it seems that our colleagues in France, Italy and Germany are even worse at not taking their annual leave, with Italy the worst culprits as almost two-thirds fail to do so.
TripAdvisor spokesperson, Emma Shaw, said: “Perhaps it’s a sign of tough economic times and job insecurity, but many Britons are not only taking their work with them on holiday, some are even sacrificing their holiday allowance by not taking their full entitlement.
“While smartphones and technology have made it easier than ever to stay connected to the office, for some, keeping an eye on work on holiday helps them relax, for others, completely switching off is essential. It’s still important to set some boundaries so that you return to work feeling refreshed and productive," she added.
Do your holidays blur with work duties? Tell us in the comments below or tweet us @FemaleFirst_UK
FemaleFirst
Shabana Adam
Tagged in Travel Travel Health