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Disconnecting from work while on vacation - Mission Impossible?

Disconnecting from work while on vacation - Mission Impossible?

Let's say you are on a family vacation to a place you've wanted to visit for a long time. While you enjoy the breathtaking landscape, which is a stunning blend of Caribbean-like beaches and craggy mountains, it can't hurt to take out the work laptop and check for updates, right?

 

New research from Snow Software, a leading technology intelligence solutions company, which surveyed 3,000 professionals from across the world, found that, overall, merely 22% of employees indicated they always leave their work devices at home while holidaying.

 

Many of us try to 'always be on' through mobile devices such as laptops and phones. As a result, the space between personal and professional, private and public, home and office, is fast getting compromised. The alarming statistic alerts us to the increased tendency of employee burnout and cybersecurity risks.

 

The findings of the report reveal that India leads the pack globally, with 62% of those surveyed always taking their employer-provided devices on vacation. On the other hand, for China, the rate of always bringing professional devices stood startlingly low at 36%.

 

Take a look at the region-wise key highlights of the report:

 

Working professionals in APAC find it hardest to switch off. They were most inclined to always bring their work devices on vacation (37%) and also the least inclined to leave them back home (18%).

 

US workers tended to swing from one extreme to the other. At one end of the spectrum, Americans are second-most likely always to bring their work devices (36%). At the other end, they are also most likely to never bring their work devices on holiday (26%).

 

Europe had the lowest rate of always bringing their devices at 29%. However, 35% of respondents reported bringing along work devices' most of the time'.

 

Gen Y folks most prone to bring their devices on personal trips

 

To no surprise, 37% of millennials reported that they always bring their work devices on vacation, as opposed to only 24% baby boomers;

 

Contrariwise, 33% of boomers claimed they would never take their devices, versus just 18% of millennials.

 

A holiday is a time to unwind and relax. While technology has its plus points when on leave from work, the survey raises serious concerns about restoring the ever-important work/life balance.

Image Credit: David Cantu/Flickr

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