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Home > Business > UK employees admit working during annual leave for fear of falling behind

UK employees admit working during annual leave for fear of falling behind

Published by Gbaf News

Posted on July 3, 2018

7 min read

Last updated: January 21, 2026

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A recent survey conducted by Glassdoor had found 40% of employees took a maximum of half their annual leave entitlement during the past holiday year, while 13% had reported only taking a quarter of their allowance within the year.

Whether it’s a two week holiday or a twenty minute respite at work, taking a break and disconnecting from all things digital and work-related, Ciara Morrison, Head of HR & Talent at Instant Offices encourage business owners on why taking a digital detox retreat brings a number of important and healthy benefits:

The proliferation of digital devices means that we’re constantly connected to the office, wherever we might be. It can become difficult to switch off and step away from the workload when it’s easily accessible.

Statistics leveraged from ONS shows UK employees waste on average five days of annual leave, suggesting the nation is spending less than half their holiday allowance on leisure and relaxation.

Further results revealed 23% admit to regularly checking emails whilst on holiday and with fears and stress of being behind workload and missing targets, a staggering 15% admit to continue doing their workload during their annual leave.

The importance of a well-rested employee

Although it may seem like a good thing from a productivity point of view, having employees constantly working can do your business more harm than good.

The point of taking leave is for employees to rest, relax and come back to work energised and revitalised. Continuing to work over their holiday means that workers don’t get a chance to fully recover from the stresses of office life, and in the end, productivity and creativity can suffer when drained employees come back to work.

This is, of course, not even taking into account the health benefits of a holiday – stress and exhaustion take an incredible toll on the body, and overworked employees may end up taking more sick leave throughout the year. Finally, allowing employees time off to relax can result in an all-round boost for office morale.

Tips for a digital disconnect

Respect other people’s schedules. Don’t bother them with emails or calls when they have taken time off, unless the matter is extremely urgent.

Prioritise your workload. If you absolutely have to work on your holiday, spend time on the important tasks only, and leave less important matters for when you are back in the office.

Set up an auto-reply on your email. This way, people who send you messages are alerted to the fact that you are on holiday. Provide a contact number for someone else in the office, who can be contacted if the issue is urgent.

Tell your colleagues that you’ll be going away.This may seem obvious, but alert others in your office that you are going on holiday. Sort out the most important projects before you leave, and let colleagues know that you will be unlikely to reply to work communications while away.

Avoid constantly checking your devices while on holiday.If you absolutely have to remain connected to work whilst on holiday, allocate a specific day, or certain time of day when you will check and reply to emails, text messages and missed calls.

Indeed, many holiday retreats all over the world are now offering “digital detoxes”, where there is no Wi-Fi signal and visitors are encouraged to hand over their electronic devices. For example, St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean offer special digital detox packages, whilst a Californian company named “The Digital Detox” organises retreats and getaways focused on meditation, relaxation and gadget-free time away.

Daily work breaks

It’s not just time off work that’s important – taking a proper lunch break every day is also beneficial. And by “proper” lunch break, we mean moving away from your desk or your office cubicle. According to Forbes, incorporating an hour or half hour break into your daily work schedule can boost one’s energy levels, improve your mood, and provide additional morning motivation as you work towards your break.

A recent survey conducted by Glassdoor had found 40% of employees took a maximum of half their annual leave entitlement during the past holiday year, while 13% had reported only taking a quarter of their allowance within the year.

Whether it’s a two week holiday or a twenty minute respite at work, taking a break and disconnecting from all things digital and work-related, Ciara Morrison, Head of HR & Talent at Instant Offices encourage business owners on why taking a digital detox retreat brings a number of important and healthy benefits:

The proliferation of digital devices means that we’re constantly connected to the office, wherever we might be. It can become difficult to switch off and step away from the workload when it’s easily accessible.

Statistics leveraged from ONS shows UK employees waste on average five days of annual leave, suggesting the nation is spending less than half their holiday allowance on leisure and relaxation.

Further results revealed 23% admit to regularly checking emails whilst on holiday and with fears and stress of being behind workload and missing targets, a staggering 15% admit to continue doing their workload during their annual leave.

The importance of a well-rested employee

Although it may seem like a good thing from a productivity point of view, having employees constantly working can do your business more harm than good.

The point of taking leave is for employees to rest, relax and come back to work energised and revitalised. Continuing to work over their holiday means that workers don’t get a chance to fully recover from the stresses of office life, and in the end, productivity and creativity can suffer when drained employees come back to work.

This is, of course, not even taking into account the health benefits of a holiday – stress and exhaustion take an incredible toll on the body, and overworked employees may end up taking more sick leave throughout the year. Finally, allowing employees time off to relax can result in an all-round boost for office morale.

Tips for a digital disconnect

Respect other people’s schedules. Don’t bother them with emails or calls when they have taken time off, unless the matter is extremely urgent.

Prioritise your workload. If you absolutely have to work on your holiday, spend time on the important tasks only, and leave less important matters for when you are back in the office.

Set up an auto-reply on your email. This way, people who send you messages are alerted to the fact that you are on holiday. Provide a contact number for someone else in the office, who can be contacted if the issue is urgent.

Tell your colleagues that you’ll be going away.This may seem obvious, but alert others in your office that you are going on holiday. Sort out the most important projects before you leave, and let colleagues know that you will be unlikely to reply to work communications while away.

Avoid constantly checking your devices while on holiday.If you absolutely have to remain connected to work whilst on holiday, allocate a specific day, or certain time of day when you will check and reply to emails, text messages and missed calls.

Indeed, many holiday retreats all over the world are now offering “digital detoxes”, where there is no Wi-Fi signal and visitors are encouraged to hand over their electronic devices. For example, St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean offer special digital detox packages, whilst a Californian company named “The Digital Detox” organises retreats and getaways focused on meditation, relaxation and gadget-free time away.

Daily work breaks

It’s not just time off work that’s important – taking a proper lunch break every day is also beneficial. And by “proper” lunch break, we mean moving away from your desk or your office cubicle. According to Forbes, incorporating an hour or half hour break into your daily work schedule can boost one’s energy levels, improve your mood, and provide additional morning motivation as you work towards your break.