Holiday Causes Stress For UK Employees, Research Reveals

According to new research from Wrike, the collaborative work management platform, nearly all UK (91%)  and German (94%) employees feel more stressed in the days leading up to taking a holiday. More than two fifths (43%) of UK employees said that they feel ‘very’ stressed. By comparison, just over three quarters (78%) of French employees report being stressed, with the majority (42%) saying they only feel ‘slightly’ stressed.
 

“Holidays are supposed to be relaxing but taking time out of work can be disruptive,” said Patricia DuChene, GM of EMEA and VP of Sales at Wrike. “If you’re in the middle of a project, it can be difficult to walk away from it or finish enough of it before you head off. And sadly, that can mean you start your holiday worrying about the work you’ve left behind.”

When asked whether tools and applications help to prepare for time out of the office, nearly all UK (91%), German (92%) and French (84%) of respondents said that they do, with almost half (47%) across all regions saying that they are ‘very’ helpful.

Working or being available for work while on vacation. Source: Wrike

"I recently went away on holidays. Using Wrike, I was able to ensure my work schedule was blocked out so if people wanted to message me ‘unavailable’ appeared,” said Julia Marber, Production Manager: Demand Centre, Clarivate Analytics.
 

“For admin tasks, I did the same and took myself off the request forms and added the holiday assignee. This meant that my absence didn't act as a bottleneck and projects weren't on hold, awaiting my return to progress."
 

When asked if they feel stressed when they return to work after their holiday, just under a third of French (30%) and German (29%) respondents said they don’t at all. By comparison, the majority of UK (84%) respondents said they are stressed when they return to work.

“Last year, Wrike’s Stress Epidemic Report found that more than two-fifths of British workers regularly lose sleep as a result of workplace stress. Nearly a year later, it seems that they still aren’t getting the break they deserve when they take a holiday. But there is a solution. Streamlining technology helps to tighten up processes, create a single source of information, and increase transparency as to who is responsible for what. These aspects are particularly helpful when one member of the team is going on holiday because everyone else knows what still needs to be done while that person is away. These simple benefits can really help your staff manage and decrease their stress levels,” added DuChene.