A quarter of workers regularly check emails during holidays

Emma Finamore
Last updated 19 Jan 2019

And a shocking three million UK employees work more than 48 hours a week.

Most workers and students will have had a break over the festive period, but plenty will not have taken a break from their emails.

With digital devices everywhere, we are constantly connected to the office wherever we may be, making it difficult to switch off from work. In fact, recent research has shown 23% of UK employees regularly check their work emails during their leave.

The proliferation of digital devices means that we’re constantly connected to the office wherever we might be, making it difficult to switch off from work, even when we should. In fact, according to a study by Glassdoor, the average number of UK employees taking their full annual leave is 62%, while only 43% made use of 91-100% of their holiday entitlement. What’s more, 13% reported only taking 20% of their allowance.

Whether it’s a two-week holiday or a twenty-minute respite at lunch, John Williams, Head of Marketing at Instant Offices, explains why taking a digital detox and disconnecting from all things work-related has several important benefits, including increased productivity and overall happiness.

Continuing to work over their holiday means that workers don’t get a chance to fully recover from the stresses of office life, and in the end, productivity and creativity can suffer when drained employees come back to work.

The importance of a well-rested employee

Although it may seem like a good thing from a productivity point of view, having employees constantly working can do your business more harm than good.

Research found 23% of those on holiday regularly checked their emails and 15% admitted to doing some work out of fear of being behind on their return and missing targets. 20% of employees surveyed also reported that they were expected to be reachable and available to carry out some work if needed.

The Office of National Statistics released figures that revealed three million UK employees work more than 48 hours a week, a rise of a quarter of a million since 2001.

This is, of course, not even considering the health benefits of a holiday – stress and exhaustion take an incredible toll on the body and overworked employees may end up taking more sick leave throughout the year. Finally, allowing employees time off to relax can result in an all-around boost for office morale.

Tips for a Digital Disconnect

Respect other people’s schedules. Don’t bother them with emails or calls when they have taken time off unless the matter is extremely urgent.
Prioritise your workload. If you absolutely have to work on your holiday, spend time on the important tasks only, and leave less important matters for when you are back in the office.
Set up an auto-reply on your email. This way, people who send you messages are alerted to the fact that you are on holiday. Provide a contact number for someone else in the office who can be contacted if the issue is urgent.
Tell your colleagues that you’ll be going away. Alert others in your office that you are going on holiday. Sort out the most important projects before you leave and let colleagues know that you will be unlikely to reply to work communications while away.
Avoid constantly checking your devices while on holiday. If you absolutely have to remain connected to work while on holiday, allocate a specific day, or a certain time of day when you will check and reply to emails, text messages and missed calls.

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