Half of UK employees work through holidays

Croner, the information service provider, has revealed that 52% of British employees who are not self-employed admit to having worked through their holidays with one in five (18%) making a regular habit of it.

The research also reveals a difference between age groups, with 14% of 18 to 24 year olds surveyed saying they always work during a holiday versus 3% of the 55+ age group.

Bosses may think that an email from an employee while on holiday demonstrates their commitment to the organisation. But working through holidays may reveal an underlying problem of over-work.

Amy Paxton of Croner says: “The whole point of holidays is to ensure that workers are entitled to a period of rest and relaxation. If they do not have this time it could cause or exacerbate stress issues.

“Work-related stress is now recognised as a very serious occupational health issue. Poor management of the risks involved can be very costly to employers in a number of ways, including high levels of absenteeism, increased staff turnover, recruitment costs and insurance premiums, low staff morale and productivity, personal injury claims and enforcement action.