Yahoo Finance The lie millennials tell bosses to avoid emails on holiday
Modern travel has made it easier than ever to leave the country for a holiday, but modern technology has also meant it’s harder than ever to truly leave work behind.
Endless emails, Slack notifications and stray text messages have the power to instantly yank holiday-makers out of rest-mode and into work-mode, and it’s something millennials aren’t keen on.
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In fact, 59 per cent of millennial workers would lie about poor internet connection on holiday, just to avoid having to respond to emails, a new survey of working Americans by Allianz Global Assistance has revealed.
Daniel Durazo, director of marketing and communications at Allianz Global Assistance USA said workers feel pressure to spend their holidays “attached to their work email”, despite often requiring a few tech-free days.
One-in-four workers would base their holiday destination on whether there was strong Wi-F, choosing to avoid places with disrupted access.
And, two-thirds of workers feel the need to check their emails while on holiday.
While younger workers are the most willing to lie about internet connection to avoid working on holidays, they’re also the most likely to actually check their email while on holiday (74 per cent), with most believing that checking the odd email makes returning to work an easier transition.
The study comes just weeks after research from Skyscanner and Workscore found that one-in-five Australians hadn’t taken any annual leave in the last year, building a workforce of stressed-out employees.
One-in-three Australian workers said they can feel their stress levels increase when they haven’t taken a break, but 12 per cent said they feel their workplaces discourages workers from using their leave.
And nearly half (45 per cent) said they feel guilty before going on holiday.
“Taking a break from work is incredibly important, especially for your mental health and wellbeing and our research reveals that while some Aussies feel their workplace or workload won’t allow them to take a break, 43 percent of Australians believe that a two-week trip is enough to effectively destress from work pressures,” Skyscanner Travel Expert, Emily Cairns said.
Psychologist Sarah Godfrey added that scheduling holidays boosts creativity and function, reminding Australians to invest in themselves.
Workplaces should encourage employees take their full entitlement, WorkScore co-founder Suzanne Deeming continued.
“Encouraging employees to take their full annual leave entitlement should become a business priority as it improves employee productivity, morale and reduces stress. Workplaces should also discourage employees from working whilst on leave and allow them to fully switch off from work,” Deeming concluded.
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