Managers stay switched on in the sun

New research by the Institute of Management (IM) has revealed that executives still get the essential boost they need, personally and professionally, from their summer holiday break.

While the survey revealed that four out of five managers take the bulk of their holiday entitlement, three out of four say they usually remain contactable by their colleagues.

Yet for most managers, the long awaited summer sojourn still does the trick, with 84 per cent saying it succeeds in recharging their batteries. The time away also gives executive the chance to take a step back and rethink the way they work. Around half of the managers said it makes them question their working lifestyle and for 18 per cent it has the positive effect of increasing interest in their career.

But, for some 11 per cent, the holiday has the opposite effect, perhaps leading to a change of job on their return.

One of the biggest holiday nightmares is the deluge of emails awaiting their return to work. Nearly half the executives surveyed said that they could look forward to at least 40 emails in their in-box, and while some are able to rely on colleagues to handle enquiries in their absence, others are forced to pick up the pieces on their return.

Undeterred by the foot-and-mouth outbreak, managers still vote the UK the top holiday destination, the same as last year, followed by the USA and Spain.

However, increased awareness of deep vein thrombosis was making one in four managers taking holidays more wary of travelling by air.

(MB)