Half of UK workers are still in touch with the office on their summer hols

Half of UK workers are still in touch with the office on their summer holsÖ.but not as often as our European neighbours

Monster has found that over half of UK workers make themselves available to work during their holidays.

Monster Meter recently asked 938 workers in the UK ìHow much do you work while on vacation?î and the overall results revealed the following:

47% (448 votes) Not at all, that's what holidays are for
22% (201 votes) I occasionally check emails and phone messages 16% (150 votes) I make myself available for emergencies only
15% (139 votes) I never really stop working

However contrary to the popular stereotype UK workers are working less on holiday than their European neighbours. According to the poll, workers in France and Spain are the most likely to work while on holiday, with 32% in both countries saying that they ënever really stop workingí. While workers in the Netherlands, and Germany are similar to the UK and find it easier to switch off, with 52% and 45% respectively, making the most of their vacation time to take a break.

Around 45% of workers across the globe maintained some sort of contact with work during their holidays, be it making themselves available during emergencies, or checking their messages.

ìEmployees should be encouraged to make the most of their holiday time so they can come back to work refreshed, relaxed and raring to go,î said Julian Aqcuari, CEO, Monster UK and Ireland. ìTaking time away from work not only refreshes your batteries, but it gives you the opportunity to step back and make sure youíre really getting what you want from your career.î

You can also make the first steps by considering the following questions:

- How much progress have you made at work since the last time you were on holiday?
- What has gone well and what not so well?
- How contented/challenged/excited have you been?
- What aspects of your job would you like to change?
- What could you tweak that would make a real difference to your overall performance and satisfaction?
- What do you really want from your career and how close are you to achieving it?

The results of the current Monster Meter are based on votes cast by Monster.com visitors from 4th to 17th May 2008. Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation. The Monster Meter, a product of Monster, the leading global online careers website and flagship brand of Monster Worldwide Inc., is a series of online polls that gauge users' opinions on a variety of topics relating to careers, the economy and the workplace. These polls are not scientific and reflect the opinions of only those Internet users who have chosen to participate. Anyone interested in voting in Monster's current online poll may do so by logging onto www.monster.co.uk.