With holiday season in full swing, The IT Job Board, http://www.theitjobboard.co.uk, has conducted its latest survey across the UK and Germany, looking into trends relating to work and holidays.
The main finding from the research indicates that two thirds (66 percent) of Brits use their allocated holiday entitlement, this compares with just over one third (41 percent) for Germany – perhaps our German counterparts are more committed to their work? When asked about how much of their holiday entitlement they didn’t use, 30 percent of IT pros in Britain claimed two to three days. Again, German workers demonstrated their loyalty, with 21 percent claiming they don’t use two weeks of their allocated holiday time – are they finding it difficult to strike a work/life balance?
27 percent of Brits advised it takes them around three days to finally relax and forget about work when on holiday, this compared to 23 percent of German IT pros, whom stated it only took them one day to leave their work worries behind.
We all know the feeling of frantically tying up the loose ends before going away, and 43 percent of British IT workers indicated they get stressed about the extra workload this presents; compared to 46 percent for Germany.
Holidays certainly seem to have a positive impact on work efficiency, with 34 percent of Brits stating they always work better after a holiday; the figure stood at 48 percent for the German market.
More than two thirds of British (45 percent) and German (40 percent) IT pros take their mobile phone abroad. But, when it came to checking work emails, 40 percent of Brits said they would look once a day; and 35 percent of Germans advised they would go online a few times per week.
Commenting on the survey, Alex Farrell, managing director of The IT Job Board, said: “Clearly UK and German IT pros are dedicated to their work; and – judging by our survey findings – this is demonstrated in different ways. It is good to see the focus being put into their jobs, but it also is worrying to see that large numbers aren’t using their requisite holiday entitlement – particularly in Germany.
“As with other sectors, IT is proving to be hugely competitive, and – unsurprisingly – many workers are opting to take their mobile phones on holiday with them. Large numbers are also finding it difficult to leave their work worries behind.
“Holidays are a necessary part of our lives, and taking a breather from an intensive work environment is a must. We all need to re-charge our batteries and retain that all-important work/life balance.”