{"id":16668,"date":"2022-12-09T23:21:54","date_gmt":"2022-12-09T23:21:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.easyoffices.com\/blog\/?p=16668"},"modified":"2022-12-09T23:21:57","modified_gmt":"2022-12-09T23:21:57","slug":"avoid-checking-work-emails-on-holiday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.easyoffices.com\/blog\/work-environment\/avoid-checking-work-emails-on-holiday","title":{"rendered":"How to Avoid Checking Your Work Emails on Annual Leave (and why you must)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do you find yourself quickly checking work emails on holiday, keeping an eye on the company chat on annual leave, or texting your teams about work even though your \u2018out of office\u2019 is on? If so, you need to stop immediately. (You\u2019re also not alone)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ability to switch off has been getting more complicated, and the work-from-home trend hasn\u2019t helped. In the UK, a staggering 60%<\/a> of people check work emails on holiday, and the same goes for 63%<\/a> of people in the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly, around 8 in 10 people believe their managers wouldn\u2019t actually expect them to, suggesting the pressure to check in while on holiday is self-imposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem of presenteeism and leaveism<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Presenteeism, or sickness presence as it\u2019s known, was a big problem a few years ago, which forced companies to address team members feeling the need to show up for work despite feeling ill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2022, 75%<\/a> of managers admit to actively asking people to take time off when sick, and 45% of leaders say they now stay off to role model the behaviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More managers are being given the training to spot the warning signs of presenteeism, but while we\u2019ve been getting that under control this year, a more prevalent work behaviour has been on the rise: leaveism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaveism is when we use annual leave to catch up on work; many people are guilty of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A massive 67% of organisations observed leaveism among teams in 2022, with many working on holiday and outside contracted hours to handle workloads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The work-life balance blur<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Data from TextAnywhere<\/a> shows that employees in the UK struggle to maintain a balance when it comes to leaving work at work. For most, checking emails on personal phones has become the norm, and the line between work and life has become blurred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly, one Asana study shows Millennials are the biggest offenders when it comes to checking emails outside of working hours. Around 48% of Millennials engage in work communication outside of working hours, compared to 35% of Gen Z and 28% of Baby Boomers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the main problems is, organisations are not exactly discouraging this behaviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just 1 in 5 companies have a policy that discourages teams from sending and replying to emails after working hours, even though nearly a third of employees<\/a> do it weekly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More calls for the right to disconnect are coming from the workforce, and if you\u2019re guilty of checking your work emails on annual leave, it\u2019s time to be strict about disconnecting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 51%<\/a>, just over half the workforce feels less than a month away from burnout, which means stressed teams need a break more than ever.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read:<\/strong> How to maximise your holiday leave in 2023 in the <\/em>UK<\/em><\/a> and <\/em>US<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to unplug<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Set yourself a digital detox challenge<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n