Employee motivation: Staff to work 3 hours a day on holiday

Date: 30/07/2012

Up to two-thirds of UK staff will spend three hours a day completing work-related tasks during their summer holidays.

That is according to a survey of 2,500 people carried out by Regus, which shows a trend which is likely to have a negative impact on employee motivation.

Holidays should be a time when staff can clear their minds of work-related issues and recharge their batteries.

Not having a proper break can be counterproductive in the long run as staff will not be properly rested when they return to the workplace.

Further to this they are less likely to have a positive attitude towards their job if they feel it has encroached on their personal time.

Steve Purdy, managing director of Regus, said: “The consequences of not truly taking a break are evident across Britain where stress has become the main cause for long-term sickness absence.”

The survey found that 25 per cent of people will use their smartphones and netbooks in a work-based capacity while away.

Some managers could argue that the eight per cent of workaholics who will carry out three hours of tasks while away are doing so of their own accord.

But it is important that management ensures everything is done to stop them from doing work while they are away.

No workplace should be encouraging a culture where it is expected that staff do not switch off from the job, especially when they are on holiday.

Mobile technology and smartphones have meant that most members of staff are contactable at all times, but it is up to employers to ensure there are boundaries.

Katherine Rake, chief executive of the Family and Parenting Institute, said: “But this technological change also means it's now all too easy, and all too tempting, to allow work to encroach on a precious family holiday.”
 

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