Hands up if you're always tempted to get on your phone and do just a little bit of extra work while you're on holiday?
We've done some research into working on holiday, and we've discovered that lots of people are failing to detach from the office when it comes to their summer breaks. However, it’s the 'always on' younger generation who are suffering with workloads, as they are the most susceptible to checking their work phones.
Our survey of 2,000 holidaymakers found that over a third (38%) of those aged 24 to 34 are spending time working while abroad on their holidays, with checking emails and taking work-related calls the most common activities.
Almost a quarter (24%) of men and women overall admitted they worked while on holiday, with one in 5 (19%) spending up to an hour a day working in some form or another.
Those with children were more likely to scoot off for a quick work session (38% of parents do this, compared with 16% of those without kids), while one person in 10 admitted that working on holiday had actually led to arguments with family or friends.
If you are a worker bee and you're hoping that your dedication to your role could result in your boss giving you some love, get set for disappointment; of those who do work on holiday, only only 13% said that their efforts had been recognised when they returned to the office.
We recently looked at managing your workload before you go abroad; if you're struggling to tackle a mountain of paperwork, here's how to clear your inbox before your holiday.
The survey also found that many holidaymakers are relying on their own devices for work, with 43% of people taking a personal smartphone and 29% taking a personal laptop to catch up with their emails and the like.
Our findings follow recent warnings about the potential impact on worker productivity if people work while on holiday, as well as moves by employers including Daimler and the The Huffington Post to introduce holiday email blocks in a bid to cut email workload for employees.
If you work on holiday, what kind of tasks do you do?
| Male | Female | 16-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55-64 | 65+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Do some kind of work on their holiday | 31% | 18% | 38% | 38% | 26% | 18% | 17% | 11% |
| Check/respond to work e-mails | 22% | 16% | 23% | 30% | 20% | 15% | 16% | 11% |
| Take work calls | 13% | 6% | 17% | 15% | 10% | 6% | 5% | 3% |
| Dial in to meetings | 6% | 2% | 12% | 6% | 4% | 1% | 1% | 0% |
| Catch up on work | 8% | 5% | 12% | 12% | 7% | 3% | 3% | 2% |
| Manage team members | 3% | 2% | 3% | 5% | 6% | 1% | 0% | 0% |
How many hours do you work per day on holiday?
| Male | Female | 16-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55-64 | 65+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | 62% | 74% | 54% | 58% | 68% | 76% | 76% | 71% |
| 0-1 hours | 22% | 17% | 22% | 20% | 17% | 17% | 19% | 24% |
| 1-2 hours | 11% | 7% | 19% | 14% | 10% | 4% | 3% | 5% |
| 2-3 hours | 3% | 1% | 1% | 5% | 2% | 1% | 0% | 0% |
| 3+ hours | 2% | 2% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 1% | 2% | 0% |
Has working on holiday ever caused a row between yourself and your family or friends?
| Male | Female | 16-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55-64 | 65+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 14% | 6% | 20% | 15% | 12% | 9% | 3% | 0% |
| No | 86% | 94% | 80% | 85% | 88% | 91% | 97% | 100% |
Has working on holiday ever meant that you’ve missed out on activities, or had to let people down?
| Male | Female | 16-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55-64 | 65+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 12% | 6% | 17% | 15% | 10% | 7% | 4% | 1% |
| No | 88% | 94% | 83% | 85% | 90% | 93% | 96% | 99% |
If you worked on holiday, were your efforts noticed and were you praised upon your return to work?
| Male | Female | 16-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55-64 | 65+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 15% | 10% | 18% | 20% | 13% | 8% | 9% | 11% |
| No | 85% | 90% | 82% | 80% | 87% | 92% | 91% | 89% |
Which of the following devices have you taken on holiday and used for work?
| Male | Female | 16-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55-64 | 65+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Smartphone | 46% | 39% | 46% | 55% | 48% | 39% | 33% | 42% |
| Work Smartphone | 13% | 7% | 18% | 15% | 13% | 6% | 5% | 2% |
| Personal Tablet or laptop | 34% | 24% | 35% | 32% | 31% | 26% | 26% | 24% |
| Work Tablet or laptop | 8% | 6% | 16% | 11% | 7% | 4% | 4% | 2% |
To download a summary of the survey results in PDF format, please click here.