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More than half of those surveyed said they will be working while on vacation.
A growing number of employers are giving workers paid vacation time these days. The only thing is, many of you don’t understand what vacation is all about.
Vacation means taking time away from work, relaxing and recharging. That means, not working.
Unfortunately, more than half of U.S. workers plan on working during their vacations this year including everything from checking emails to doing actual work tasks.
A poll released this week by software company TeamViewer and conducted by Harris Interactive in May, found that 52 percent of those surveyed will be working while on vacation, up from 46 percent the previous year.
Here’s how the workaholic’s vacation/work schedule breaks down, according to the survey:
- Reading work-related emails – 30 percent
- Receiving work-related phone calls – 23 percent
- Wanting access to a document on my home computer – 19 percent
- Receive work-related text messages – 18 percent
- Wanting access to a document on my work computer – 13 percent
- Being asked to do work by a boss, client or colleague – 13 percent.
The worst gender for this vacation offense are men with 56 percent saying they were more likely to work, compared to 47 percent among women.
And the one group that can’t seem to get a break is single working Americans, who expect to be asked to do work by the boss more often than their married counterparts, 15 percent versus 6 percent.
For many workers, the decision to keep working through R&R times, is about making sure jobs are secure and going above what’s expected in order to impress employers.
But that can be a recipe for disaster and may ultimately hurt your job performance.
"Rest and renewal ultimately increase our ability to be productive, it is essential to completely unplug when on vacation," said Susan Steinbrecher, a business consultant and author of "KENSHO: A Modern Awakening, Instigating Change in an Era of Global Renewal."
"Most people don’t take renewal seriously," she continued. "I believe our connected, always on, 24/7 society has lost the ability to recharge and renew without distractions. The minute you check an email or voice message while on holiday, you’re likely to get sucked right back in."
Some employers seem to realize the importance of vacation for their workers. The number of employers offering vacation benefits is actually on the rise.
Today, about 94 percent of employers offer paid vacation days to workers. And now, more than half of organizations provide paid time off as part of all-encompassing packages of days off, including vacation days, sick days, etc., compared to 42 percent in 2009, according to a report released in June by the Society for Human Resource Management.
And some firms are actually trying out unlimited vacation policies.
Alas, many workers still aren’t taking their vacation days seriously, or should I say, un-seriously.
"Today’s work environment of intense time pressures and limited resources means we are all required to put in extra effort, energy and time – which can create a lot of stress," Steinbrecher maintained. "This 'do more with less' work ethic means that if we don’t completely disengage when on vacation, we’re not fully recharging or refueling."
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Americans take less vacations than pretty much anyone else in the developed world. We should learn to enjoy life more. Work to live not live to work. When you die, you don't want your obit to be about how much time you put in at the office working on that budget report or whatever.
Good point, CRCTODAY. Not many say on their deathbed, "I wish I had spent more time at the office."
I use to do it...now I won't. The contract has been broken. Trust and loyalty mean nothing in today's world. Business leaders are out for themselves, so why shouldn't their workers be as well? Wake up America and stop being slaves and serfs.
I'll start working on my vacation when my employer pays the hotel bills, the restaurant bills, the transportation bills (airfare or gas) etc etc etc for my vacation. The contract is truly broken. 10 years with one company ---laid-off. 18 years with another company----- laid-off. 2 years with another company----laid-off. 3 years with the last company----laid-off. Busting @ss will never be in the equation again. Doing a good job yes. Working to live yes. Living to work NO never again.
I read thru most of my emails on vacation. I just want to stay on top of things and be prepared when I come back. It does not take away from my vacation and lets me keep a mental to do list for when I come back.
I wish I could take a vacation... I'm 30 and haven't had one. Ever. I'm stuck mostly doing contract work and living pay check to pay check. I can only afford health insurance six months out of the year, due to the random shutdowns my job has. Two college degrees and I'm living like most Min Wage employees... I need to relocate and get a new job. Any suggestions?
Most people do not seem to realize that many companies and ALL regulated financial companies such as banks and brokerages are required to certify that their employees all take 7 consecutive days off a year with absolute no contact with the company or institution --- including phone calls, emails, and even the leaving of pre-positioned instructions. This is a standard anti-embezzlement practice that is extremely frequently ignored by both companies and regulated institutions such as banks despite the possibility of huge fines. It is one reason why JP Morgan Chase lost around $10.2 billion on bad trades.
In the handful of states that require a reason for firing someone, refusal to taker vacation is considered presumptive of malfeasance.
@Chris-749391 You are so right. When I first started at the financial institution I was at, it was two weeks. Both weeks in one fell swoop unless you could get a class/conference piggy backed to your vacation. I did change to one week, for which many were happy to see. Then, somewhere along the line, and I blame this on the uninformed supervisors/managers, we were fair game for calling or paging on vacation. It wasn't enough that we were on call 24/7 when not on vacation. I learned to 'forget' the beeper and had no number where I was staying. I was paid well, but not that well.
to Chris and Ala-kat. Financial institution employees are not required to take off a week at a time. I have worked for one now for 5 years and only once have I taken a full week of vacation at once. When you consider that companies are not even required to provide vacation time it would be even harder to make them use it.
The United States is the only industrialized nation that does not have any laws regarding vacation, that's why we are so far behind on this matter.
I used to work on my vacations--being a business owner, I felt I "had" to so I could keep clients happy. After awhile, and some vacations that really weren't very restful, I realized that it made more sense to manage clients' expectations by announcing upcoming vacation time well in advance. Now I just turn on the auto responder on my email and enjoy my time off.
Long before that, I worked in a big high-tech company where some people would work on Thanksgiving Day in order to get the job done. It was kind of a cult atmosphere! We were changing the world! Yeah, right. The company had a policy that even salaried employees were entitled to overtime pay if asked to work holidays--but of course, the managers would backpedal and say, "Oh no, we're not asking you to work on holidays--if you choose to, though, that's great." Doesn't take long before that thrill wears off. Plus you notice that when layoffs come, it's not necessarily those zealous holiday workers who are kept on...
I can't understand what today's employees think they are doing by working such long hours. If they were being hugely compensated, it might be one thing, but most that I know are making average salaries.
Really? You can't understand? Most people are terrified of losing their jobs nowadays.. The job-market is saturated with people desperate for work, and you have companies outsourcing to other countries or just threatening to outsource keeping their workers working themselves to death.
A prime example is my wife, she puts in 60+ hours per week to keep caught up at a job where they are working everyone at 200% over capacity, they've gotten rid of all of the clerical staff, and pared down the adjuster staff to bare minimum, keeping just enough people to get things done if they work like mad, stay late every day, and come in on their days off. All the while, every week, the boss has a meeting where he yells at the staff, telling them they are all a hair's breadth from being fired and "good luck finding a job in this town!".. And so she works all the time, and since she's salary, she's working those hours for free..
And on top of all of that, If she does use her vacation time, when she comes back to work, it is to a pile of work that has fallen behind because nobody has the time to take up the slack while she's gone, a huge a$$-chewing and harassment for letting it get behind, and more threats of termination.
And don't even dare say ever-so-smugly, "She doesn't like it, she should find a job somewhere else!".. She has been trying to.. NO ONE IS HIRING! And even if she did find another job, most places are doing the same damn thing as this place is! Many business owners are happily feasting on a gravy train of desperate workers who willing to kill themselves out of fear of unemployment.
Exploitation at its finest...
Your wife's boss does sound like a jacka$$! I would record him making those threats & take that to an attorney. If she's getting her job duties done per her job description........He can't legally fire her. Knowing your rights as employee's can be a powerful tool. Having the courage to do it....is another story.
WarBeast, encourage your wife to keep looking. Her boss is abusive and deserves to have everyone just walk off the job.
There are always jobs available for good people. During tough times, it just means persevering, not giving up, and keeping on putting yourself out there. I assume that you have a job, so your wife is not without fallback. Not saying your family doesn't need both salaries--but it's different from a situation where there is only one worker.
She needs to leave as soon as she can manage. Eventually the office will collapse, and she'll be out looking anyway.
Can't speak for your state, or any others, but the one I live in....you can be fired for no reason at all. None. Nada. Zip. Unless you can prove discrimination, your are....without a job.
OK......sorry, but I have to! Again, the best advice to give his wife is to talk to an attorney. Quietly, of course.
Per California worker's rights (my state), Does an employer need to have a reason to fire you? Normally no. However, your employee handbook and set of job descriptions CAN be viewed as a contract, which is why she needs to DOCUMENT his behavior and her own work performance too. I suggested recording her boss, even trying to get his responses through email might work better.
Per the handbook:
"Even without an oral or written contract, you may nevertheless have an implied contract that prohibits your employer from firing you without good cause. To determine whether an implied contract exists, a court would consider such factors as: the length of your employment, commendations and promotions, job performance evaluations, any assurances of continued employment (a promise of permanent job security, for example), and your employer's employee handbooks and policies. There are no set criteria for establishing an implied contract; the court simply reviews all of the circumstances. Your employer must base any good cause termination on economics (such as a layoff) or poor job performance. If your contract was breached, you may have grounds for a lawsuit."
Then requirements about overtime:
"Generally, you must be paid at least the California minimum wage for all work you perform for your employer, even if you worked "off the clock" or "volunteered," worked at home or worked without approval. And if you are paid by commission or by the piece rather than by the hour, your employer usually must pay at least the equivalent of the minimum wage.
You must be paid overtime (one and a half times your usual wage for every hour or fraction of an hour you work over eight hours in a day or over 40 hours in one week, and double time for every hour you work over 12 hours in a day) unless you are exemptfrom overtime. Also, most workers are entitled to a paid 10-minute rest period every four hours and an unpaid 30-minute meal break every five hours. And your employer generally must maintain-and keep for three years-a daily record of your work hours."
BUT, they don't have to offer sick or vacation time. The time you do put in must be paid for.
AND last but not least, if all else fails....the employee's might be interested in forming a union:
"Yes, you normally have a legal right to do so.
Your union can bargain collectively with your employer for better employee wages and benefits, and better working conditions. And your employer cannot interfere with your participation in lawful union strikes or meetings with fellow employees.
Unions, too, must stay within certain legal bounds in their dealings with you. For example, union agents cannot threaten you with the loss of your job if you refuse to support union activities. Nor can they refuse to handle your job grievance for arbitrary reasons. Unions have a legal duty of fair representation to all of the workers in the union's bargaining unit.
For more information on your rights as a union member, contact your union representative, your local labor council, the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Labor Management Standards (regarding internal union matters), or the National Labor Relations Board (or, if you are a California state or local government worker, the Public Employment Relations Board)."
Those are just other options. And in most cases you're right, you can be fired for no reason at all. At the very least it sounds like she has the unpaid work/time she can go after. If her job is really as bad as he describes, I would worry about her health. Doing nothing isn't going to make it any better. At the very least, bosses, provided he isn't the owner, can be fired too & maybe he needs a reality check!
JayEll.....you've been clarifying my thoughts much better than I!
JayEll, a lot of times it is specifically the weaker employees who feel pressured to do this. I remember one software developer I worked with who struggle with his projects because he always blew off the programming assignments in school. During his first few years working at my company, he would spend crazy hours at the office whenever he got assigned a major project. A good software developer would have easily been able to finish these projects in the normal 40 hour work week. So, the weaker employees sometimes feel more expendable and think they need to make up for their weaknesses by spending extra time at the office.
Even while more companies offer additional vacation days, bosses tend to pay lip service to "take the time off, don't worry about the office". A vast majority of us do not have jobs to where the world will come to an end just because we leave for 5 business days. I blame the bosses for the stress that comes with leading up to the vacation and the urge to check in during the vacation. And, I've worked for the bosses that make you feel guilty when you come back from vacation.
The only people that can afford to take a vacation are the top 10%. I would love to take a vacation. The only problem is that my bills still continue to come due. Everything is still going up in price. Except wages. Which remain stagnate. The middle and lower class cannot afford to take any vacation. We are nothing but slaves to corporate America.
My vacation time gets used up for visiting family and for the occasional day when child care isn't available. I couldn't imagine actually going and doing something!
I did have a work call earlier this week when I had to stay home with the kids for a day, but it was just to give the boss a password.
Tom, I think the discussion is about paid vacation as an employee. If that's what you have, it doesn't matter if the bills come due because you're still getting paid.
If you're self-employed, you don't "get paid" while on vacation--so as a business owner, you have to plan for it financially as well as in the day planner. And if someone thinks that an expensive vacation is the only way to go--well, there are plenty of local vacations people can take that don't cost a lot.
I lost my job last year. Found another; but at a significantly less salary. I have earned a week's vacation. My Mom is visiting me from Germany for 7 weeks. I guess I'll take that one week while she is here. I sure can't afford to go anywhere.
Not entirely true.... I am definitely not in the top 10%, but I save a little here and there so I can take a vacation. Corporate America has their golden handcuffs on me, but I refuse to be their slave.
Good for you! The reality is most of us can't. Or a lot of people go in debt just to enjoy themselves for a few days. Then spend the rest of the year paying for that enjoyment. Its the times we live in.
Newsflash for you "entitlement" mentality folks...a vacation doesn't necessarily have to mean a week in the Bahamas or taking the family to Disney World. A perfectly legitimate vacation is staying home and spending time with the family. You don't have to go into debt to enjoy a vacation!!!!!
That's right jwilson1234. Lots and Lots of people are doing "stay-cations" this year. Go ahead and Google it and you'll find a bunch of ideas. Heck, even just reading a book on a lawn chair at a park is a heck of a lot better than going to the office, isn't it??
Vacation? I can't even manage to take more than one day off at a time. Staff has been cut back to where there is no one else to cover things if I'm gone. I'm also working at two locations, one day a week I travel to the other office which is great for them but it eats into the time I spend here.
As long as people believe that they have to make up for staff cutbacks, they will continue to be overworked and undervalued. If you're picking up the slack, your employer won't have to change or hire more workers. This is great for them until the day you crash from stress and can't work... Don't let them get the idea that you'll always take care of things no matter what.
In many companies the fewer employees are expected to make up for staff cutbacks. One my my friends works for a smaller business who reduced their staff by about 30%. The remaining employees were expected to add the additional work to their own schedule.
Their manager told them that if they didn't the company might go under. My friedn hasn't had a vacation in almost two years; his manager spent two weeks in the Bahamas in April.
Severed, your friend was sold a story. Perhaps the company should go under! If I were in your friend's position, I'd have been looking for another job from the day after the cutbacks.
Glad that the people who were left were able to work hard enough to allow the manager to spend 2 weeks in the Bahamas on their backs.
In fact, people should always be looking for better jobs. No reason to wait until the ax falls to start looking. In my experience, lying down and being walked on is no way to move up.
Look for another job you say? Isn't that the problem though? Layoffs and cut backs are causing people to remain unemployed while the employed person is "forced" to take on additional roles and be grateful to have a job that pays the bills.
No one is technically forcing anyone to take on more work, but it sure beats unemployment. Looking for another job sounds easy enough, but the jobs just aren't there.
No one is forcing anyone to take on more work.......but by you willing to take on more work...you're not forcing them to hire more help either. Hmmmm....I wonder why these top execs salaries keep getting larger.....right along with your workload.
It's one thing to have a crisis situation leading to layoffs and a temporary need for the employees still left to pick up the slack. It's another things when the company decides that this situation should be standard operating procedure indefinitely. That is just exploitation. If a workload requires 10 employees, but the company can "make" 7 people do the work by having an unofficial required overtime policy (also known as "culture") then why should they hire more?
Rocklin
No, no one is forcing anyone to take on more work. But the people at the top won't hire more workers: They will fire one or two 'slackers' and quickly replace them. The rest of the employees get the message. The unemployment rate would be much lower if employers would hire workers at the previous rate to cover the workload. Look at what has happened in the last few years-corporate profits and production are skyrocketing but unemployment is staying steady. They have figured out that if you keep people desperate they will work themselves to death just to keep the job they have and the money that would have gone into workers salaries goes into your pocket instead.
This isn't uncommon in high tech companies at all, no matter what kind of employee you are, in my experience. I worked for a big high tech company, and it is part of our culture to at least check email while on vacation no matter who you are. And if an important meeting is scheduled during your time off, it is expected that you'll teleconference into the meeting. Putting in some hours from home on a holiday like thanksgiving or christmas is not at all uncommon, either. My peers in other high tech firms report the same thing - it seems to be standard operating procedure in high tech.
I'm now a contractor for the same company I worked for as a full time employee. The downside is that I don't get paid vacation time. But the upside is that if I'm taking time off, I'm completely unplugged - no email, no phone, and don't even think about asking me to dial into a meeting even if it's "just for an hour." I see my colleagues come back from vacation not much more rested than they were before, but I usually feel much better and ready to jump back into work. Wish the culture could change to promote completely unplugging while on vacation - it makes a world of difference!
Lizzie, it will be standard operating procedure until people change it by not going along with it. That means not being available.
At the tech company I worked for, some employees had to be forced to take vacation. They had been working long and hard, and skipping vacations, until finally they had no life, and they were no longer performing well.
The fact is, everyone is working "on contract" these days--the ones who think they are employees just don't realize it. They can be gone in a minute, no matter how much time they put in.
When I take vacations I go where there is no internet or phone access. I don't take a laptop with me. On my email Out of Office message I simply say that "I will be gone and will have no access to phone or computer. For urgent matters contact my boss." I have never been challenged on this. Assert yourself and you'll be fine .
JayEll - agree to an extent, but it's hard not to go along with company culture if you believe that, in this economy, it means a greater risk of losing your job. According to stats, it may be not very difficult for a software engineer to find new job, but not everyone in high tech is a programmer or s/w eng'r - us marketing types and others aren't in the same job mkt as our engineering colleagues. Fear is a very powerful motivator to stay in the swim with the other fish, and keep checking emails while on vaca.
I've never really been for unions........but, I'm starting to see the importance of them now.
When I was a kid my father owned his own small business. We would take a two week vacation each summer. My mother found places to go where phones were not available (lake cabins - and obviously before cell phones.) She would also instruct my Dad's secretary to not connect him to anyone if he called the office from vacation and not to give him any information if he asked for it. His business still was thriving when he sold it several years later.
Fast forward a few decades. I take a long girl's weekend every year with some friends. One of them never disconnects from her office. She is constantly checking messages, texts, taking phone calls etc. Last week, after 37 years with the same company her job was eliminated and she was let go. My job required me to be available 24/7/365 and after 30 years I took an early retirement to recover my health.
None of us are indispensable and we are all replaceable both temporarily and permanently. Take your vacation and make it a real one even if the furthest away you travel is your own back yard!
If you allow them to exploit your time they will.
Yes, but sometimes the alternative to being exploited is to be unemployed.
And it's completely shameful that we've allowed it to get to this point. It's not ok, that you can't take a vacation without fear that you may lose your job because your company doesn't respect their employee's time.
That's the stick everyone assumes the boss has. Do what I say or I'll fire you. Or, worse yet, go along with the "company culture" or I'll fire you. But anyone who is doing their job well is not going to be fired! Layoffs are another matter, and they can strike anyone. Whole departments go in a big layoff. This is why one should always be on the lookout for a better job opportunity--and take vacation!
I know people that are not salary and stay late and come in on weekends and do not report it. But they are individuals that do not possess the best time management skills (i.e. cut down on smoke breaks and talking). Some people you do not have to push around -- they will push themselves around for you.
Enjoy your vacations each and everyday. We get so ahead of ourselves with planning that we never live in the day we are experiencing right now anymore.
I used to work for a company where whenever any one went on vacation they sent out e-mails telling everyone where and how they could be contacted. When I went on vaca, I sent out an email saying that I would be on a cruise and could NOT be contacted. Any issues would be addressed upon my return. It didn't take long before most e-mails started telling folks to not bother trying to contact them, they would not be available.
We all got laid off about the same time in the end anyway.
I recently went on vacation for a week and left my blackberry at home. I use to take it and glance at it daily for a minute or two, to see if there was anything critical I needed to address. Well, this time I forgot it, and had the best vacation in 25 years! When I returned, I took care of business as usual. A good "out of office" reply indicating that "e-mails will be addressed upon my return to the office on xx/xx/xxxx" should tell everyone you are ON VACATION. Try it you'll love it.
The poll is missing an option: there should be one reading "What vacation?"
My daughter and I picked out a picture that we think perfectly shows our family on vacation. She and I are looking at an exibit at the Smithsonian and my husband is looking at his phone. He doesn't understand why we want to throw it out the window.
Peggy that's perfect! Thank you, I'm not the only one! Recently I asked mine if he wanted to meet me on his lunch break since I was in the area. He pulled his phone out during lunch.........I asked him to leave. If it couldn't have waited 30 minutes he should not have come! I know it was a little harsh on my part, but the constant intrusion is getting to be too much.
I'm self employed and pay enough taxes to support four to six familes full time on welfare, foodstamps, unemployment and free medical for life!
I never take vacation but I go to Hawaii, New York, Colorado, Chicago a few times a year with the family and enjoy those places.
Now I have to get back to work to support my family and the four to six families I also support and pay for.
Next tax payment due Sept 15!
Jello heads!
Is that the sound of whining I hear? Why yes, I do believe it is! Sorry, but nobody is interested in your self-created dilemma. Get over yourself.
4 - 6 families fully supported for life? No vacations but trips to great locations a few times a year with the family? What would you consider a vacation?
If you are paying that amount in taxes, and can still jet off a few times a year for a get away you are doing just fine.
Those taxes build the infrastructure that your business uses every day. Pay them.
Yep for sure...I'm "living like royalty" but the laptop and cell never get turned off.
Got to feed the hungry mouths! All of them. Even those that don't work and enjoy the safety nets turned into virtual HAMMOCKS by our BUmmer in charge!
Bye Bye OBummer 2012!
Jello heads!
sloppy joe's a troll. He's making up a story so he can rile the waters.
Joe's a real class act, nice profile pic.
Answering emails is not working in the mines.
Checking in for messages is hardly "work".
If you want rest:
The problem is employers cut all redundant positions.
So, if you leave, your work stops.
.... these are dopey Americans who are so programmed and high strung that they are afraid to let the cell phone out of their hand for five minutes least they miss something....it's a sickness for sure.....
You are expected to be available. If not, you could find yourself without a job. We don't have most of the worker protections of workers in other nations. It is usually not by choice, it is fear.
The people are driven to do work on their vacations for fear of being fired by bosses who are in turn driven to compell their staff to work while on vacation by fear of being fired by their bosses. America is no more. It is slave labor controlled by the rich and powerful who live like royalty behind the scenes.
Interesting that 52% do work on vacation but the tasks that they do add up to 116%. This type of error seems fairly common on MSNBC. The writers seem to be repeating what somebody else tells them without thinking about it and the editors either don't read the copy or don't use fact checkers.