‘Unplugging from the office’ during vacation difficult for most workers, survey finds

Menlo Park, CA – Fifty-four percent of employees check in at work at least once or twice a week while on vacation – a 13 percent increase from 2016, according to the results of a survey conducted by staffing firm Accountemps.

More than 1,000 office professionals 18 and older responded to the survey. The reasons participants gave for touching base at work include ensuring matters are under control (54 percent), keeping projects progressing (53 percent), managing workflow before returning to work (47 percent) and keeping colleagues from heavier workloads (34 percent).

Fifteen percent of workers said they check in at least once or twice a day – down from 21 percent in 2016.

“When possible, use your vacation time to its fullest potential by unplugging from the office,” Accountemps Executive Director Michael Steinitz said in a May 24 press release. “This helps you come back to work recharged and with fresh perspective.”

Other findings:

• Workers plan to use an average of 10 vacation days this summer, unchanged from 2016.
• 30 percent of respondents plan to use more vacation days this summer than they did last summer.
• 37 percent indicated they could use more time to recharge.

Accountemps encourages managers to stress to employees the benefits of taking vacation. Workers are advised to communicate absences with team members and set boundaries for checking in if they feel it is needed.