Half of Professionals Check Emails 'Every Day' on Holiday
Posted by Sue Anderson, 25th Mar 2013
On your travels, how many of you have witnessed a family trying to enjoy their holiday whilst one member constantly has his or her head buried in their smartphone/iPad/laptop (delete as appropriate)? We know it's a common sight across holiday resorts worldwide and it's definitely a crying shame. Holidays are about taking time out, but how many of you could go tech-free for your entire holiday?
Well, here at sunshine.co.uk, we wanted to find out a bit more about how hard some people find it to properly switch off whilst abroad on holiday. We polled 2,113 UK employees in management roles and asked them if they were able to ignore their emails completely whilst on holiday. Everyone we spoke to had been on holiday abroad in the last 12 months.
We asked 'On your last holiday abroad, did you check your emails on a daily basis? to which a staggering 49% said 'yes'. That's almost half! Surely their time could be better spent swimming up to the pool bar or lazing on the beach? Anyway, who were these guilty people on holiday with at the time?
76% admitted they were on holiday with their partner and children during the trip when they checked their emails daily, whilst 11% were just wither their partner, 6% were with 'just friends' and the rest of them were travelling with other family members.
When we fished for more information and asked if the people they were on holiday with had been aware of their incessant email checking, 65% admitted they had tried to be discreet about it. Despite this, 44% claimed their checking of emails had caused friction with the other people on holiday with them. We are not surprised!
When looking at which sectors were the guiltiest when it came to checking emails whilst on holiday, based on those who admitted that they did, the poll found business owners to be the worst, followed by those working in PR and marketing and, in third place, sales representatives. Those working in media and legal roles completed the top 5, so now you know who not to go on holiday with if you don't want to be ignored for the duration.
A fifth of the total respondents even admitted to actually doing work whilst on their last holiday! When we asked how people had checked their emails, if they had done so, 'Smartphone' was the most common answer, followed by laptop (21%) and tablet device (14%). Perhaps lock these items away if you're planning a trip any time soon. Finally, 86% of respondents taking part in the study said they had checked Wi-Fi availability in their accommodation before booking. We think the view from the room and the food on offer is probably more important to look into!
So, there you have it. Checking work emails whilst on holiday abroad is simply unacceptable, unless perhaps you're the Prime Minister. Put down you phone, leave you iPad at home and don't accidentally wander into that internet cafe. You'll thank us for this advice later!
Well, here at sunshine.co.uk, we wanted to find out a bit more about how hard some people find it to properly switch off whilst abroad on holiday. We polled 2,113 UK employees in management roles and asked them if they were able to ignore their emails completely whilst on holiday. Everyone we spoke to had been on holiday abroad in the last 12 months.
Majority of those guilty of checking emails daily were with their partner and children
We asked 'On your last holiday abroad, did you check your emails on a daily basis? to which a staggering 49% said 'yes'. That's almost half! Surely their time could be better spent swimming up to the pool bar or lazing on the beach? Anyway, who were these guilty people on holiday with at the time?
76% admitted they were on holiday with their partner and children during the trip when they checked their emails daily, whilst 11% were just wither their partner, 6% were with 'just friends' and the rest of them were travelling with other family members.
Two thirds kept daily email checking a secret
When we fished for more information and asked if the people they were on holiday with had been aware of their incessant email checking, 65% admitted they had tried to be discreet about it. Despite this, 44% claimed their checking of emails had caused friction with the other people on holiday with them. We are not surprised!
Business owners most guilty of daily email checking on holiday
When looking at which sectors were the guiltiest when it came to checking emails whilst on holiday, based on those who admitted that they did, the poll found business owners to be the worst, followed by those working in PR and marketing and, in third place, sales representatives. Those working in media and legal roles completed the top 5, so now you know who not to go on holiday with if you don't want to be ignored for the duration.
A fifth of the total respondents even admitted to actually doing work whilst on their last holiday! When we asked how people had checked their emails, if they had done so, 'Smartphone' was the most common answer, followed by laptop (21%) and tablet device (14%). Perhaps lock these items away if you're planning a trip any time soon. Finally, 86% of respondents taking part in the study said they had checked Wi-Fi availability in their accommodation before booking. We think the view from the room and the food on offer is probably more important to look into!
So, there you have it. Checking work emails whilst on holiday abroad is simply unacceptable, unless perhaps you're the Prime Minister. Put down you phone, leave you iPad at home and don't accidentally wander into that internet cafe. You'll thank us for this advice later!
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