Far from helping business owners unwind and relax, the prospect of taking a holiday seems to add to the pressures of work.
A study from Investors in People (IiP), the organisation that works with companies to improve performance, found that for one in seven owner-managers the run-up to a holiday break involved working an extra 16 hours, the equivalent of two normal working days.
Among executive directors, only a quarter said that they worked usual hours before a holiday, while 39 per cent put in an extra seven hours.
Employees can be affected almost as badly, the research revealed.
Over a half of those questioned reported working longer hours ahead of taking annual leave.
For many, matters don’t improve once they are on holiday. Only a half of employees claimed that they did not worry about work or how colleagues were coping in their absence while they were away.
Simon Jones, who is acting chief executive of Investors in People, said of the findings: “Holidays should be time to relax – not worry. It’s important that employees have confidence in their employers and their colleagues to handle things effectively whilst they are away, rather than getting stressed or putting in ever-longer hours in the days before they go.”
He pinpointed good management practice as an important way of reducing pre-break stress levels: “Part of this is down to individuals but managers can guard against the inevitable ‘summer stretch’ by openly coordinating and discussing holiday dates, identifying potential pinch points and planning extra resource or balancing workloads accordingly. It’s about careful planning and prioritisation well in advance.”
Date:17 July 2007
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