Recent research carried out by the Chartered Management Institute reveals that, out of 1,300 managers interviewed, 45 per cent of them contact their employers by choice while on annual leave.
he survey also found that the majority of managers in Britain have more than five weeks holiday entitlement each year but increasing work commitments mean that 40 per cent do not take up their full allowance and almost one in ten ‘sell’ excess holiday time as part of flexible benefits packages.
f the respondents who said they would take annual leave this year, two thirds said they would use the time to catch up on chores, a fifth will remain at home to complete outstanding paperwork and 21 per cent will use their entitlement to visit doctors or dentists.
onsultant psychiatrist Dr John Sharkey said: ‘In these times of growing workloads and less job security it is imperative that people can unwind.
The market in Jersey is changing and employees are getting more and more stressed because they no longer feel in control of their own destiny.
People are working harder and longer to impress their bosses in an attempt to make their positions more secure – but I’m afraid it is a vicious cycle and only leads to more stress.
Those who burn out either don’t get the opportunity to get away and de-stress, perhaps because they leave it too late to take their holiday entitlement, or they are the sort of person who has a developed sense of responsibility and has to make sure that the people they look after are looked after – even when they’re away.
I met a rather enlightened manager recently who will only approve a holiday taken to relax if it is over a week.
Any less and people tend to get stressed leading up to the holiday, become more stressed in the final days of the break and get even more stressed trying to catch up when they return – it can do more harm than good.
Dr Sharkey, who is director of a mental health and safety solutions company called Avoca Health, added that firms should play a part in making sure their staff find time to de-stress.
Some companies still fear that looking into a problem could imply that you have a problem but the smartest firms are taking steps to nip stress in the bud,’ he said.
