Summer holidays are supposed to provide a break from stress and work. However, the Institute of leadership and management has discovered that they may even have the opposite effect on managers and only a few actually stop working when on holiday.
The research involved 2,500 managers, 90% of which claimed that even the thought of taking a summer break raised their level of stress. Therefore, the whole purpose of the holiday seemed to be ruined. A further and more detailed study revealed just how much managers are incapable of avoiding doing at least some work whilst on holiday. The question remains as to whether the whole situation is the fault of the managers themselves or of the current climate they are working in.
One out of ten of the 2,500 questioned admitted visiting the office during their holiday time. These were clearly the worst offenders. Eight out of ten frequently respond to emails during holiday time, which is made possible through such special devices as Blackberries or Smartphones. Around a half of the managers questioned admitted taking phone calls whilst being on holiday. The technology available to us today may be a major plus in the office yet can really backfire at us during holiday. The uncertain economic climate coupled with the pressures of managerial posts tempts these people to be on call at all times.
The survey came out with some ideas on how to avoid working on holiday. The first idea is to inform colleagues and key contacts that you will be away for a certain period of time and ask them to respect this. Another idea is to filter emails into urgent and non-urgent boxes to avoid unnecessary stress over unimportant issues.
Is it possible when referring to data or studies that you provide the name of the study/authors/sponsors. While there are some interesting facts presented, I would like to know the methodology as well as the aforementioned variables. Who sponsors the study, who writes it, and when should all be taken into account as well as how the study was conducted