Over half (53 percent) of Australian workers become stressed and believe they have to work harder when co-workers are on holidays because of poor planning by managers.
In addition to the increased stress brought about by co-workers taking holidays, sixty-five percent of Australian workers believe their workload has increased in the past three months, according to Randstad’s Q2 Workmonitor report.
“Results of the Q2 Workmonitor reveal that organisations often don’t plan adequately for employee leave, sending shockwaves of stress through an organisation particularly when business starts to pick up,” says Deb Loveridge, Chief Executive Officer of recruitment & HR services company, Randstad.
“Increasing workloads, lack of resources and stress as a result of having a colleague away for a week or so can have a serious impact on the health and wellbeing of fellow employees, and consequently result in lower morale and reduced productivity levels, especially within small businesses.”
Alarmingly, the survey shows:
- One third of respondents in Australia feel uncomfortable when taking time off, because colleagues have to take over their workload
- 39 percent of people still receive emails/calls while on leave
- 46 percent of respondents think about work during their leave
- 62 percent are busier before or after a leave day
- 41 percent say their workload doesn’t allow them to take the desired amount of time off
“Australians are renowned for building up annual leave and not taking regular ‘time out’. A short break not only has benefits to our health and wellbeing, it can help us remember what it is we love about our work or help us reassess our career,” said Loveridge.
