‘getting away from it all’ going out of style?
new york (market wire via comtex news network) — more than one-third (37 percent) of u.s. workers anticipate not using all of their time off this year, according to a new hudson survey. in fact, one in four workers (24 percent) have not taken any time off this year, and an additional 14 percent have not taken a vacation longer than a long weekend.when they do get away from work, 39 percent of employees check in with the office most days, if not every day. add in those who call the office or check email occasionally and a resounding 72 percent of the work force stays in touch with the office to some extent when they are supposed to be winding down.
nearly all managers (87 percent) also keep in contact with the office while taking time off. that said, it is not surprising that two-fifths (38 percent) of workers and managers return from vacation no more relaxed or even more stressed than when they left as a result of the work they missed.
“modern technology makes staying connected to work while on vacation easier than ever and helps to blur the line between work and personal time,” said peg buchenroth, vice president, human resources, hudson north america.
“workers are given that time for an important reason and managers need to play a role in reinforcing the significance of employees truly disconnecting from work, so that serious consequences such as burnout may be prevented.”
when it comes to the holidays, many workers still do not get a chance to unwind. half of employees say their company does not offer them any extra flexibility around the holidays in order to shop or make preparations. approximately the same amount (54 percent) also indicates their office is no more casual during the holidays than the rest of the year.
“if workers are not allowing themselves to decompress while on vacation, the holidays may be a good opportunity for employers to help their staff unwind, as long as the work is still getting done,” added buchenroth. “even simple acts such as a less formal dress code or allowing employees to work flexible hours help people loosen up a little.”
additional survey findings include:
— more than half (53 percent) of government workers do not expect to use all of their vacation time this year.
— twenty-three percent of workers claim to be more productive during the holiday season than other times of the year.
— conversely, 37 percent of the work force admits to being less productive.
— only eight percent of workers earning more than $100k+ per year have not taken off from work this year.
— just 43 percent of workers ages 18-29 return from vacation more relaxed than when they left, compared to 53 percent of all workers.
— half of managers (49 percent) feel they have greater flexibility at work during the holiday season, and 42 percent state their office is more casual then as well. those figures are 37 percent and 35 percent, respectively, for all workers.