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UK Work Pressure Hits Holidays
With the UK working the longest hours in Europe, the stress of work is now impacting on family holiday time according to a new survey which reveals 1 in 3 people keep in touch with the office while away
• Over 42% of men and 30% of women use technology such as a Blackberry to keep in touch with work while on a family holiday
• Nearly 1 in 5 actually feel pressure from their boss to stay in touch with work during holiday time
• Consequences highlighted for not keeping in touch include the risk of colleague ‘bad mouthing’, being sidelined, job security and not receiving a pay rise.
• 1 in 6 believe contact with work on holiday is the cause of family arguments
28 July 2006 – A new survey of nearly 1,000 people has found that more than 1 in 3 workers now take a Blackberry or other communication device on holiday to keep in touch with work, due to growing pressure in the work place.
The survey for leading online car hire company Carrentals.co.uk, questioned people across the UK on the growing impact work has on leisure time, with nearly 1 in 5 saying they actually felt pressure from their bosses to stay in touch during their family holiday time.
The perceived consequences of not staying in touch included the risk of being ‘bad mouthed’ by colleagues, being sidelined within the company, not receiving a pay rise and job security. The survey revealed that men are most concerned about being ‘bad mouthed’ by colleagues and not receiving a pay rise, while women were more concerned about the risk of being sidelined for promotions or opportunities.
Richard Game, COO of Carrentals.co.uk, said: “The survey highlights growing concern over the pressures UK workers now face to continue their involvement in daily work throughout their holidays. The fact that 35% keep in touch with the office, instead of switching off and relaxing is putting increasing pressure on both individuals and their families. Holidays have both physical and mental benefits, so this ‘constant contact’ culture needs to be tackled by employers to help ensure the best performance from their team.”
Over 42% of men take some form of communication device with them on holiday, compared to 30% of women, with 15% saying constant contact with work does cause arguments with the family during the holiday.
The issue of keeping in touch with work is particularly strong in certain regions. Welsh workers feel the most pressure with over 21% stating their bosses expect them to stay in touch with the office, followed by the Midlands (16.5%) and then the North East (14%).
London workers biggest concern if they don’t stay in touch is the risk of being sidelined for promotions or opportunities, while 20% of Scottish workers would be concerned about a possible risk to their jobs.
Claire Patrick of business performance specialist Inner Excellence, commented: “ There is a lot of rhetoric in companies around the area of work/life balance. Ongoing pressure caused by juggling to keep your boss’ impression of you favorable, avoid bad mouthing from colleagues and manage family criticism leads to exhaustion.
“Recently we all watched the World Cup - imagine keeping your players on the pitch constantly with no recovery time and expecting a world-class performance? We all need ‘active recovery time’ to perform optimally - ignoring our physical, psychological or emotional needs leads to mediocrity. Companies need to be aware of this and ensure their employees are given the space and freedom to fully recover from the daily pressures.”
According to recent figures the average UK working week is 43.5 hours, compared to 38.2 in France and in Germany 39.9, with work frequently highlighted as one of the biggest causes of stress.
80% of people said there was nothing about work they missed while away, but others highlighted chatting with customers and colleagues, office gossip, flirting with the boss/colleagues and the work itself as the things they missed most, while 5% of respondents in the Midlands said the thing they would miss most about work is their mistress/lover.