Employees in the UK’s small and medium sized businesses are ‘working harder than ever’ new research suggests.
Almost half of employees have said that going on holiday significantly increases the pressure at work, according to a survey from Lexmark, with 40% of workers saying their stress levels increase in the days leading up to the break. Women feel this pressure more than men, the survey found, with 14% claiming stress ‘increases greatly’ before their holidays.
Furthermore, such is the pressure felt at work that the average British employee takes almost three and a half days to wind down from work on their summer holidays. It takes a whole week to wind down for 5%, while 1% admit they never totally wind down.
Even a day off work can make life difficult for employees, said the findings, with 23% of respondents saying they work more hours than usual before a single day off.
Marcus Harvey, general manager, Consumer Printer Division at Lexmark, commented:
“These results suggest the UK is working harder than ever. Summer holidays used to be a chance to relax, yet increasingly workers are finding it hard to unwind. With holidays being taken over by workplace worries, British workers need to make sure they do all they can to avoid ‘Summer Holiday Stress’ syndrome.
“Simple things like working from home in the run up to a holiday can help you keep focused, with the absence of office distractions.”
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