‘Pre-holiday stress’ affects one in five

One
in five workers claim they have been affected by pre-holiday stress (PHS).

A
survey by internet jobsite reed.co.uk finds that workers are under increasing
pressure to finish their workloads and ensure things are running smoothly
before they leave for holidays.

This
increased pressure has developed into full-blown stress for more than a fifth
of workers, the survey of over 5,000 people finds. 

While
22 per cent say they have actually suffered from PHS, a third of workers claim
the problem has become worse than it was three years ago.

The
average UK worker will work an extra nine hours outside of normal working time
to complete their workload and arrange a ‘handover’ before they go on holiday,
though this rises to an average of 17 hours for directors.

PHS
is also cutting down the amount of time workers decide to take off for their
holidays, with just 40 per cent saying they will take their full holiday
entitlement this year, 10 per cent less than last year. 

Nearly
half of respondents – 47 per cent – worry something will go wrong at work while
they are away, and more than a quarter – 28 per cent – feel important work
decisions will be made.

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Encouragingly,
two-thirds of those surveyed – 66 per cent – say their colleagues are happy to
help while they are away. Just one in 20 respondents – 5 per cent – say their
colleagues just let the work build up for when they return.

By Ben Willmott