Working Vacations On The Rise For Americans

July 22, 2013 Jenny Thomas

Vacations are supposed to be a time to get away from it all to recharge your body and mind. But before you head out, don’t forget you won’t be the only one in need of recharging and grab all your cords and wires since all of your electronic devices will need to power up, too.

According to a new survey by TeamViewer, a provider of remote control and online meetings software, the definition of “vacation” continues to be redefined for a growing number of Americans.

In fact, 61 percent of employed Americans polled by TeamViewer say they will work during their summer vacation, which is up almost 10 percent from last year’s numbers.

The annual survey, which is part of TeamViewer’s 2013 Work/Life Balance Index, was the result of an online poll last month of 2,074 adults, aged 18 and older; 1,094 of them classified themselves as either full-time, part-time, or self-employed, online. Those who agreed they would be working during their next vacation listed some of the tasks they expected to perform to include:

38 percent would read work-related emails
32 percent would need work-related access to a document on work or home computer
30 percent believed they would field work-related calls
24 percent expected to receive work-related text messages
20 percent said they would be asked to do work by a boss, client, or colleague

It’s obvious the culprit is that nifty smartphone. We love it because it keeps us connected to everything and everyone at all times. For many, leaving the smartphone behind is like leaving an appendage at home. TeamViewer reported 69 percent of survey respondents planned to bring a work-capable device with them on vacation, and 61 percent of that group admitted they to bring up to three such devices. Of the 67 percent of vacationers who said they expect to use a device for work-related purposes, smartphones came in first at 40 percent as the most popular device to use, followed by laptops at 39 percent, desktop computers at 24 percent (presumably these people are vacationing at home), and tablets at 18 percent.

I am a little surprised the number of people bringing a work-capable device on vacation isn’t closer to 100 percent. Practically speaking, your smartphone is still phone, and I would have believed most people would carry at least a phone in case of emergency.

While 83 percent of the survey participants agreed that having to work during vacation is becoming more common in America, it doesn’t mean they’re happy about it. In fact, 89 percent said they wouldn’t handle it well if asked to work during vacation by their boss, and many admitted they would likely respond in emotional or even sneaky ways, including:

34 percent said they would do the work, but not happily
29 percent said they would feel their boss doesn’t respect their time
24 percent would worry about the boundaries between work and personal life
22 percent said they would refuse to work
14 percent would be happy to do the work
13 percent would just turn off their devices
11 percent would pretend they didn’t see the incoming message or text

An extreme 6 percent said they would use the vacation to update their resume to look for a new job. And 4 percent of respondents said they might throw something, 3 percent said they would cry, and 2 percent might even quit their job.

Not surprisingly, the study shows that the trend of mixing work into summer vacation is particularly acute among Generation Y, those currently aged 18 to 34, who are statistically more likely than any other age group to say they expect to work during their vacation (73 percent), and 82 percent of those youngsters planning to bring a work-related device on vacation, with 79 percent expecting to use a work-capable device.

I don’t fit into the GenY category, but I can’t imagine leaving town without my smartphone, and I can’t think of many family, friends, or co-workers going without either. Not to mention, most people I know who are employed and willing to do whatever it takes to stay that way, including dealing with a little work drama from a tropical location.