Holiday stress: three in five British employees work while on leave

61 per cent (three in five) of employees work on annual leave – up from 54 per cent in 2013 Nearly three quarters (73 per cent) of staff are more stressed out ahead of their holidays, and almost one in five (18 per cent) return to work more stressed than when they left More than half of workers (54 per cent) have annual leave left at the end of the year As we approach the summer holidays, a new study by the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM), has found that holidays are not nearly as relaxing as they should be. The ILM survey of more than 1,000 UK workers and managers shows that British workers are working through their annual leave and not making the most of the summer season. The poll found that more than half of workers (61 per cent) feel obligated to work on holiday – a possible side effect of modern technology, meaning workers are contactable anytime and anywhere. 64 per cent read and send emails during their time off, 28 per cent take business phone calls and 8 per cent go into the office. Charles Elvin, chief executive of the Institute of Leadership & Management, said: “Britain’s workforce is not making the most of their annual leave. Our survey paints a picture of an over-stressed workforce, who feel they cannot afford to switch off out of fear of falling behind on workloads. “It is crucial that people are able to make the most of their time off work to fully relax, reflect and recharge. This allows them fresh perspective and energy to tackle their work on return from holiday.” The poll also revealed that far from being relaxing, the prospect of an upcoming holiday caused 73 per cent of workers to feel more stressed out – up from 71 per cent in 2013 – with 68 per cent staying late in the office the day before. Even worse, almost 1 in 5 (18 per cent) come back from their holiday more stressed than when they left. Part of the reason for this, it seems, might be that 81 per cent of staff are faced with overflowing email inboxes on their return. Meanwhile, more than half of workers (54 per cent) still have holiday entitlement when they get to the end of the year. It is the responsibilitiy of managers to support staff so that they can feel comfortable that their work will be addressed whilst they are on annual leave as a stressed workforce can be an expensive one in increased sickness levels, poor health generally, lack of concentration and poor communication amongst colleagues and clients.

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