Fighting the urge to check your work e-mail while you’re on holiday doesn’t exactly qualify as the worst problem in the world; after all, it’s pretty nice to have a job at all in this tough economy, right? Then again, the pressure to hang onto a job seems to be driving more and more connected workers to stay plugged in even while they’re trying to tune out.
It just so happens that I’m about to go on a long overdue vacation myself (I’ll be back in about a week,Ed hardy belts, by the way), and while I’m mostly reveling in the idea of activating my "out of office" auto-reply message and leaving my work voicemail behind, I'm sure I’ll occasionally hear that little, nagging voice in my head, asking: "Shouldn’t you be checking your inbox, just in case?"
Looks like I’m not alone, with an Expedia.com survey from earlier this summer finding that nearly a third of workers — up from about 25 percent the previous year, according to the Baltimore Sun — admitted to checking their work e-mail or voicemail while sitting by the pool, hiking in the hills, or otherwise trying to take some time off.
The rise in connected vacationers could explain another worrying statistic from last month’s Expedia survey: the 55 percent of workers who say they’re not "feeling rejuvenated" after they come back from their vacations.
So, why do some people habitually tap away on their office BlackBerrys even when they’re supposed to be unwinding in, say, the Bahamas or something? Well, I’m sure there are those who really do need to stay connected (brain surgeons, four-star generals, secret agents, and the like), while others do it because ... well, they like to feel important. (For the latter, I’ve got no sympathy for you.)
And then there are those who check in because their bosses expect them to check in, given that they were issued BlackBerrys, iPhones, or Droids on Day One at work ... and if you don’t check in on your days off,Seven, there’s that lingering feeling that there’s always someone else more willing who’d be happy to replace you at a moment’s notice.
Personally, I try my best not to succumb to the pressure to check work e-mail while I'm off-duty. Sure, I could work my way through my vacation, checking the news, blogging, and taking phone meetings on my time off.
But the thing is, we’re not machines. We’re human. In my experience, if you go too long without a break — and that includes answering office e-mail — the quality of your work begins to suffer, not to mention your productivity. If you don’t put your BlackBerry down during vacation, what’s the point of going at all?
So even though I will have some gadgets with me during my holiday, I won’t be using them for work; instead, I’ll be playing games, watching movies on the plane, and reading e-books (the fictional kind). Sure, in this frantic world of ABC (always be connected), I’m taking a risk by tuning out. But for me, the alternative — going stark raving mad at my desk — isn’t worth it.
And besides, you don’t want me blowing your blissful vacation high by clutching my smartphone in the chaise lounge next to yours, do you?
But enough about me ... how about you? Do you check your work e-mail while you’re on vacation? How about your office voicemail?
The Baltimore Sun: Workers rarely unplug from the office
— Ben Patterson is a technology writer for Yahoo! News.
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