Many
office employees feel they are no longer getting real benefit from their summer
holiday because they have to work up to 50 extra hours in the weeks before and
after, according to new research.
A
survey of 1,000 office workers, by recruitment firm Office Angels, reveals that
82 per cent work on average 25 hours before and after their holiday to keep up
with their workload.
In
contrast, the same survey in 1999 showed that 70 per cent worked an extra 20
hours to make up the time.
The
latest research also reveals that 31 per cent claim the last few days prior to
a holiday are among the most stressful they experience all year, with 86 per
cent saying their “post-holiday glow” disappears after two days back in the
office.
Paul
Jacobs, managing director of Office Angels, said: “Employers need to ensure
their staff get a proper break from work during their holiday and shouldn’t
expect them to take work with them or contact them unless it’s absolutely
unavoidable.”
However,
some UK employees are eschewing the idea of summer holidays altogether, in
favour of training camps, according to a training firm.
The
Training Camp said it has received a year-on-year increase of 100 per cent in applications for its one- and two-week
summer IT training programmes.
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The
IT managers use their annual leave to attend the courses in an attempt to
improve their job prospects, the company said.
