Addicted to work

Published: 29 Mar 2018

A third of UK workers stay connected while on holiday and one in five UK workers haven’t taken a holiday in the last year.

One in three UK employees1 are not switching off from work while on holiday, with mobiles and tablets keeping people constantly connected.

Woman at an airport on a mobile phone with a red suitcase
One in ten UK employees take their laptop or tablet on holiday to do work

A study by Aviva  has discovered a quarter (26%) of UK employees1 who have been on holiday in the last year read, replied to, or sent a work-related email whilst away. 

Nearly a fifth (18%) used their mobile for a work-related call or text message, while one in ten (10%) took their laptop or tablet with them in order to do work.

Percentage of workers who have not been on holiday over the last 12 months

20%

UK

18%

Poland

17%

Canada

15%

Turkey

15%

USA

11%

Ireland

10%

France

9%

Italy

One in three people have had their holiday interrupted by a work-related activity. This can lead to people switching back into ‘work mode’, undoing the good work that time away allows.

Aviva's Medical Director, Dr Doug Wright, says that all employees should consider the long-term implications on their health and wellbeing if they allow themselves to be contacted while on leave.

"All employees should consider the long-term implications on their health and wellbeing if they allow themselves to be contacted while on leave. One in three people have had their holiday interrupted by a work-related activity. This can lead to people switching back into ‘work mode’, therefore undoing the good work that time away allows.

I would like to encourage all employees to make a conscious effort to avoid checking work emails or taking work-related calls whilst on leave. These are habits that can be changed and being able to fully switch off from work remains vital for a sustainable work-life balance."

Dr Doug Wright, Medical Director, Aviva UK

1 Aviva Consumer Attitudes Survey, November 2017, results based on 456 working respondents (full-time, part-time, self-employed) who have been on holiday over the last 12 months

2 Aviva Consumer Attitudes Survey, November 2017, 569 working respondents (full-time, part-time, self-employed).  

The Aviva Consumer Attitudes Survey interviews c.1,000 adults aged 18 using online panels in each country surveyed except China (1,514 interviews), where the survey is conducted face to face and online (10,526 interviews in total). Countries surveyed include:  UK, Ireland, France, Poland, Italy, Turkey, Singapore, China, Canada, and USA. A quota sample was interviewed with quotas set by age, gender, region and income by country. Data is weighted to the known profile of the population in each country. The research was conducted by Ipsos MORI between 15 November 2017 and 9 January 2018.

Enquiries:

Monique Crockett | 07800 693182 | Monique.crockett@aviva.com

Sarah Poulter| 07800 691569| Sarah.poulter@aviva.com

Notes to editors:

  • We are the UK's leading diversified insurer and we operate in the UK, Ireland and Canada. We also have international investments in India and China.
  • We help our 19.6 million (as at 31 August 2024) customers make the most out of life, plan for the future, and have the confidence that if things go wrong we’ll be there to put it right.
  • We have been taking care of people for more than 325 years, in line with our purpose of being ‘with you today, for a better tomorrow’. In 2023, we paid £25.6 billion in claims and benefits to our customers.
  • In 2021, we announced our ambition to become Net Zero by 2040, the first major insurance company in the world to do so. We are aiming to have Net Zero carbon emissions from Aviva’s operations and supply chain by 2030. While we are working towards our sustainability ambitions, we recognise that while we have control over Aviva’s operations and influence on our supply chain, when it comes to decarbonising the economy in which we operate and invest, Aviva is one part of a far larger global ecosystem. There are also limits to our ability to influence other organisations and governments. Nevertheless, we remain focused on the task and are committed to playing our part in the collective effort to enable the global transition. Find out more about our climate goals at at www.aviva.com/sustainability/climate and our sustainability ambition and action at www.aviva.com/sustainability.
  • Aviva is a Living Wage, Living Pension and Living Hours employer and provides market-leading benefits for our people, including flexible working, paid carers leave and equal parental leave. Find out more at https://www.aviva.com/about-us/our-people/
  • As at 30 June 2024, total Group assets under management at Aviva Group were £398 billion and our estimated Solvency II shareholder capital surplus as at 30 September 2024 was £7.6 billion. Our shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange and we are a member of the FTSE 100 index.
  • For more details on what we do, our business and how we help our customers, visit www.aviva.com/about-us
  • The Aviva newsroom at www.aviva.com/newsroom includes links to our spokespeople images, podcasts, research reports and our news release archive. Sign up to get the latest news from Aviva by email.
  • You can follow us on:
  • For the latest corporate films from around our business, subscribe to our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/aviva

      Interested in our research?