Study: 83% of Leaders “Obligated” to Respond to Work Messages While on Vacation

The vast majority of senior leaders feel obligated to respond to work messages while on vacation, it has been revealed. Tech.co’s latest workplace report shows that a whopping 83% of senior leaders feel “at least somewhat” obligated to respond to work queries while they’re on vacation.

Last year, the so-called “right to disconnect” grew in prominence, with Australia joining the likes of France, Italy, Mexico, and more, in passing legislation to protect their employees’ right to ignore correspondence when out of office.

However, these new findings indicate that even during designated vacations, many of us still feel unable to switch off from the pressures of work. As of yet, a “right to disconnect” movement has failed to get off the ground in the US.

Most of Us Unable to Switch Off While on Vacation

Our latest annual report shows that the overwhelming majority of workers feel pressure to respond to work queries while on vacation. We found that 83% of senior leaders feel “at least somewhat obligated” to engage in work correspondence while out of office.

In recent years, employees have begun to place a greater emphasis on their work-life balance, and there is a growing body of evidence that a “right to disconnect” law would be a big step in the right direction. In fact, 77% of senior leaders support such a law. At the moment, however, the evidence would appear to be falling on deaf ears.

Unsurprisingly, this inability to switch off has a detrimental impact on employee wellbeing, with 53% of senior leaders who feel “extremely obligated” to stay online during vacations also reporting that they feel “extremely burnt out.”

Research Sheds Light on Remote Work Complexities

Elsewhere, our report paints a complicated picture of remote work, with many employees struggling to reconcile work-life balance in light of the greater freedoms heralded by the Covid pandemic and subsequent work-from-home (WFH) mandates.

There’s a shared recognition that flexible working policies are good for morale, with 68% of businesses offering hybrid work to increase employee satisfaction. However, a sizeable number of senior leaders (23%) believes that the main drawback of remote work is the difficulty in separating work and life. This is borne out by the percentage of leaders that feel obligated to respond to correspondence while on vacation.

To explicate things further, 37% of younger workers (25-34) would contact colleagues while on vacation in the event of a critical business issue. This illustrates that not only is this problem widespread, but that it recurs across the business.

“Right to Disconnect” Law Essential, Report Suggests

Ultimately, these findings indicate that the US is in dire need of a “right to disconnect” law. Despite widespread support for the movement, the federal government has yet to enact the required legislation. There have been a few attempts on a state level, most recently in California, but these have proved unsuccessful.

Around the world, the “right to disconnect” has been unanimously beneficial. According to a study conducted in The HR Practice, employees in the countries in question are less anxious, less stressed, and less likely to burn out. The Tech.co report, meanwhile, posits a US business landscape in which many workers do not feel able to switch off, even when they’re on vacation.

In the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, staff wellbeing should be top of mind for employers everywhere. While this is true to an extent, the report suggests that businesses still have a long way to go. And with the rapid pace of technological change, especially AI, there’s no excuse for getting left behind.