Most employees have to cover their holiday work when
they return to the office, according to a survey of 1,800 people by
recruitment agency Manpower.
And 7% of employees are contacted while on holiday to make
decisions and provide advice.
Manpower's operations director, Greg Teare, said, "Summer
holidays should be about completely relaxing and forgetting the
daily routine. This won't happen if people spend their holiday
worrying about what work is piling up, how many e-mails are in
their inbox or the additional burden their holiday is causing
colleagues."
Of the people surveyed by Manpower, 43% returned from holiday to
find all their work from the previous week or two waiting for them.
Some 40% returned to a clean desk because their workload had been
shared between their colleagues. Only 10% of respondents had their
jobs covered by temporary staff while they were away, and 7% were
contacted about their work while on holiday.
Although 40% benefited from their work being covered by
colleagues, their employers expected those employees who were still
in the office to work longer hours.
Manpower recommended that people going on holiday should write a
handover document for colleagues and nominate someone to deal with
urgent messages. Employees should also complete all their projects
before going on holiday if possible so they have nothing to worry
about while they are away.
Teare said, "It is beneficial for employers to find ways to
ensure their staff really can relax while they are away."