Bringing the Briefcase to the Beach
A little over a third of professionals plan to work on their vacation in some capacity.
Between ‘Summer Fridays’ and telecommuting, professionals have a lot to love about working during the summer. But many professionals will get the best summer perk of all – vacation. 65% of white-collar workers plan to take some vacation this summer, according to a recent Office Pulse study.
Do you plan to take a vacation this summer?
Office Staycation
Most professionals (50%) going on vacation this summer plan on taking 3-5 days off. Not all of us will be as fortunate to get away this season, however. Among the poor souls who will be stuck at the office this summer, the biggest contributing factor keeping them in their cubicles is cost of vacationing (38%), followed by hectic work schedules (17%). More than one out of 10 professionals have already blown through all their vacation time, with half the year left to go.
Checking Out … to Check Emails
Just because professionals are escaping the office doesn’t mean they’ll be able to get away from their work. Some professionals will be switching back and forth between their margarita and their work email on vacation – either by choice or necessity.
More offices are affording professionals flexible working hours during the summer. The number of professionals who said their office offers telecommuting as a perk doubled to 14% since a similar Office Pulse study from 2017. Flexible work hours also increased to 24% from 15% last year. But while flexible work hours allow workers some freedom, the same policy can end up tethering vacationing professionals to the office. A little over a third (35%) of workers plan to work on their vacation in some capacity, down from 40% last year.
How much will you work during your summer vacation?
Of those professionals that won’t be able to disconnect, their time will mainly be spent monitoring emails (47%). Additionally, 16% of workers will spend 30 minutes a day working while on vacation, and just over 1 in 10 (12%) will spend an hour a day. Might as well call it a business trip at that point.
The best out-of-office replies professionals have seen
“I’m on my honeymoon and I want to stay married so please contact another team member.”
“I’ll be periodically checking emails…… between margaritas…… maybe.”
“If you need to reach me, too bad. I’m on vacation so I can’t hear you.”
“On an island and close to retirement, I may not come back.”
“I’ve acted like a goose and gotten the flock out of here.”
The flexibility of telecommuting goes both ways; while professionals get a break from the office, they may have to take a break from vacation to keep up with work. As workers become increasingly connected to the office, working on vacation may become the status quo.
About Office Pulse
Office Pulse by Captivate offers marketers timely analysis and insights from a proprietary panel of upscale professionals in the top markets. The Office Pulse panel of more than 8,000 influential consumers and business decision makers includes C-level executives, Millennials, middle management, small business owners, working women and working moms.
About Captivate
Known for its vast network of nearly 12,000 elevator displays located in 1,600 premier office buildings across North America, Captivate connects advertisers with 13 million unique monthly viewers through creative, research-driven and Nielsen-measured advertising and marketing programs. By engaging its viewers with timely news and actionable information that helps balance the personal and professional demands of the workday, Captivate provides advertisers with a highly desirable and difficult-to-reach audience of affluent and influential business professionals. Founded in 1997, Captivate is owned by Generation Partners. For more information, please visit www.captivate.com.
