Professionally accessible on vacation: only a third switch off completely
Emails on the beach or video calls at the vacation home - according to a survey by Bitkom, over two-thirds (66 percent) of employed individuals who have planned a summer vacation this year are also reachable professionally during this period. On the other hand, nearly one-third (31 percent) want to completely disconnect and not respond to business inquiries during their summer vacation.
For the representative survey conducted by Bitkom, the Digital Association, the responses of 1005 people in Germany aged 16 and above were evaluated, among them 357 employed individuals who plan to go on summer vacation this year. According to the survey, older employees are particularly active professionally during their vacation: Among employed individuals aged 50-64, 73 percent are reachable professionally during their summer vacation; among employed individuals aged 16-29, this is only the case for half (51 percent).
One reason for being reachable during vacation, according to the Bitkom survey, is often the expectation of others: 59 percent report being reachable because their superiors expected it. 51 percent say their colleagues expected it of them, 46 percent see this requirement coming from customers and clients. A quarter (25 percent) assume that business partners expect availability. However, only 15 percent say they want to be reachable of their own accord during their summer vacation.
Critical of the survey results is Bitkom CEO Bernhard Rohleder. "In times of home office and mobile work, the boundaries between private and professional life are blurring for many," he explained. Therefore, it is all the more important to "really use time off from work for relaxation."
Vacation should only be disturbed in "urgent cases," Rohleder demanded. Employers are responsible for "organizing backup solutions in a timely manner and agreeing on clear company-internal regulations for availability during absences."
Due to the expectations of their superiors, colleagues, customers, and business partners, a considerable number of employees are reachable professionally during their vacation, according to the survey. Only 15% of the employees stated that they want to be reachable during their vacation of their own accord. Despite the prevalence of professional connectivity during vacations, critical voices advocate for only disrupting vacation in urgent cases.
