Short breaks are taking over from traditional summer holidays and lead to
higher productivity at work, according to new research.
A survey by Reed.co.uk shows that the UK’s attitude towards holidays is
changing and that UK staff are set to take 82,763,000 short breaks this year.
Of more than 6,500 people surveyed, less then one in three (30 per cent)
will be taking a traditional fortnight’s summer break, while 70 per cent said
they were more likely to take a short break than they were five years ago.
Two-thirds of UK staff feel that shorter breaks lead to higher productivity
compared with traditional two-week holidays.
Workers also believe short breaks make the return to work less stressful
because they don’t have to face big backlogs of work on their return.
"Short holidays mean that things can generally wait until you get
back" said one respondent,. Another put it more bluntly when they said:
"There is less work to catch up on and fewer mistakes to correct caused by
the people who attempted to cover for you."
Martin Warnes, head of operations for Reed.co.uk, said: "The UK appears
to be undergoing a shift in attitudes towards holidays, with rising numbers
taking short breaks instead of the traditional summer fortnight.
"While factors such as the increase of cheap flights and last-minute
deals play their part, it seems many people also find that short breaks cut
down workplace stress."
