4 in 10 Singapore employees work on holidays: survey

Is it pure dedication?

According to Regus, 45% of professionals in Singapore reported that they would work one to three hours a day during their summer holidays, while 22% plan to devote more than three hours a day on professional tasks. 40% confirm that their level of attention to work while on holiday will equate to a slightly reduced ‘business as usual’ level.

Professionals in Singapore are working even harder on holiday than in other countries. Worldwide, 39% of business professionals take a slightly reduced business as usual approach to their holiday, while 17% plan to work more than three hours a day and 41% say they dedicate one to three hours a day to work.

Global expert, Professor Thomas Cox CBE, comments: “It is documented that giving workers some control over their work and the way they do it can help reduce work stress.

In particular by offering workers some freedom to manage how and when they work can help them achieve a better work:life balance ensuring that time devoted to family and relaxation is not riddled with work stress and activities. Being able to connect from any location is great, but workers really need to carve out time to switch off.”

The research also found that men have the most difficulty switching off with 48% of men in Singapore turning their vacation into nothing more than business as usual by vowing to make calls, respond to emails, and attend to business during their vacation. A smaller proportion of professional women (26%) are committed to the same level of work.

This gender trend in Singapore is confirmed with 51% of professional men reporting that they will work between one and three hours a day, compared with 36% of women and 29% of men devoting over three hours daily to work versus 11% of women professionals.

John Henderson, Regus Regional Director for Asia Pacific said: “The dedication people worldwide and are showing towards their jobs is admirable with a huge percentage of business professionals taking their work away with them.

However, this can also be interpreted as an indication that they feel overstretched or insecure in their jobs and are unable to properly switch off. The effects of work place stress are well documented so it is important that workers carve out some personal time.

“On the one hand technology, such as video communications and WIFI, has certainly made working from almost anywhere in the world a reality, on the other this innovation should be channeled towards helping professionals work more flexibly and productively. Allowing workers reduce their commute or work closer to home can help professionals work more efficiently so they can really devote their holidays to relaxing.”