British Airways, a UK-based airline company, has announced the results of a survey that it has carried out into British workers’ ability to switch off from work while on holiday.
The survey has revealed that Brits abroad find it hard to leave the stresses of the workplace behind, and switch off for as little as four days during two weeks holiday. Three days was the minimum time that respondents to the survey said that it took them to wind down and forget about work. Then, once the holiday moves into its last few days, fears about the return to work resurface and raise anxiety levels. These fears can make holidaymakers resort to checking their work e-mails or even phoning work colleagues for an update.
BA learned that respondents to the survey were more relaxed about their jobs while on short breaks than on long ones, because there was less chance of work mounting up while they were away.
Managing director of BA Holidays, Claire Bentley, was quoted in the Daily Mail, saying, ‘Many believe that getting away from things for two weeks means you can really switch off – more so than if you just went for a long weekend away. But it seems for some the opposite is actually true.’
Survey findings confirmed that 20 percent of respondents worried about work while they were away on holiday, 25 percent worried about the amount of work that they would face on their return, more than 20 percent checked their e-mails at an Internet cafe, and 15 percent took a laptop with them to the beach or pool.
