A quarter of all workers say they do “two weeks’ work in one” in the run up to their holidays according to a survey from IrishJobs.ie, Ireland’s number one recruitment website. Seventy one per cent of workers surveyed have taken or plan to take a holiday this year with a significant number, 19 per cent, not taking a holiday at all, and 10 per cent still undecided. However the good news is that while on holiday the vast majority of people mainly focus on unwinding and having fun (89 per cent ) leaving a minority having to think about work.
Where working parents are concerned, over one third say they find the school summer holidays stressful because of the demands of juggling work and children.
Half of survey respondents also admitted to checking their work emails, presenting a similar profile to those who accept work calls during time off.
One third of workers found their workload increased before they went on holiday, saying they had to brief colleagues in detail before they went away.
On a positive note, 35 per cent of workers say they can relax straight away when on holidays, however almost half require a couple of days to unwind. Eleven per cent of respondents claim it takes a full week to relax, with a further 10 per cent claiming that work is always on their mind.
Top tips from Irishjobs.ie wellbeing expert, Deirdre Connelly, on how to enjoy a stress free holiday:
Switch off to switch on — a total break means we come back with a fresh look at things and be twice as productive.
Review and streamline your work schedule for before and after – focus only on key initiatives and file or delegate the rest.
Schedule meetings carefully pre and post holidays.
Block book yourself the day before and day after your holidays to proactively manage.
Delegate effectively.
Proactively communicate with key stakeholders and colleagues pre departure.
Be clever with email and set your out of office to communicate the dates you will be away and who to contact in your absence.
Change and divert your fixed and mobile phone messages directly to the voicemail box.
Compile to do list on last day to ensure you can hit the ground running on return.
Remember to switch off and change out of office email and voicemail messages on return.
