Remote Work Has a Negative Impact on Vacations, Study Finds. Workers Are Putting in More Hours and Have Less Time to Rest

Remote work has changed how we understand the workday and everything associated with it, from where we work to the schedule we keep. However, this hasn’t always been beneficial for remote workers.

One of these drawbacks has been an increase in workload. Instead of providing flexibility, remote work has created situations where employees feel obligated to work more hours than they used to in the office.

Remote work and overtime. According to data from the UK-based headhunter Hays published in the outlet People Management, 52% of UK employees have experienced an increase in their working hours since 2020 when switching from on-site to remote work.

Of these workers, 25% say they work more than 10 extra hours per week compared to 2019, while two in five employees say their work week has increased by between five to 10 hours. This data points to an increase in the time employees spend on their jobs when working remotely, suggesting an overload of work that takes advantage of reduced commuting time.

More “workcations.” The Hays survey in the UK identified another upward trend: working during vacations. 40% of respondents admitted to having worked during their annual vacation in the past year, a percentage that rises to 52% among middle managers.

This figure has two interpretations. First, it highlights the fine line between work and personal life and undermines the right to digital disconnection, which has already proven counterproductive. Second, it reveals an increase in pressure for remote workers.

Companies are increasing pressure. Simon Winfield, managing director of Hays UK & Ireland, stressed the need for employers to “re-evaluate the pressures that may have crept up on staff during long periods of remote working” as companies explore hybrid working models or implement return-to-office policies.

“Some staff may be continuing to work from home permanently, or for a portion of the week, so employers need to assess how staff are managing their time to avoid the need to be ‘always on,’” Winfield told the British media outlet.

Remote presenteeism. Despite the labor market benefits of remote work in the last four years, companies have implemented various strategies to discourage it through some negative dynamics of on-site work.

The study Killing Time at Work, conducted by Qatalog and Gitlab in 2022, shows that presenteeism, understood as the tendency to be “always available,” has moved to the digital environment. 73% of employees feel pressured to respond to messages and emails after they closed up shop for the day, making it challenging to rest and disconnect even during vacation.

This article was written by Rubén Andrés and originally published in Spanish on Xataka.

Imagen | Unsplash (Peggy Anke)

Related | ‘Silent Vacations’: 40% of Millennials and Gen Z Have Used Remote Work to Take a Break Without Permission