A survey conducted by YouGov on behalf of workplace communications app Slack has revealed that 37 percent of people working in an office in Germany are struggling to put their phones down on holiday.

German employees check their phones during holidays

Your body may be on that Sicilian beach, but your mind is stuck in the office: according to a recent survey by YouGov, many of Germany’s office workers relate to the sentiment.

37 percent of respondents said that they remain contactable to their boss and or colleagues while they are on holiday leave, 6 percentage points higher than in 2022. Respondents cited various motivations for their constant availability, with the majority - 80 percent - saying that they had made the decision to be contactable, rather than been asked to be by their boss. 76 percent said they were contactable only in the case of emergencies relating to important tasks or projects.

Perhaps most revealing when it comes to Germans’ work-life balance, even some survey respondents who said they were uncontactable admitted to regularly engaging with work and life admin while on holiday. 

16 percent of respondents said that they checked their work emails daily while on their summer holidays, and 73 percent said that they checked their personal emails.

German workers aren’t feeling relaxed after a break

Amid booking appointments at the dentist and refreshing the work Slack between sangrias, it may be unsurprising that 28 percent of respondents said that they only actually begin to feel relaxed seven days into a holiday. Once the time came to return to the office, 9 percent said they felt immediately stressed again.

Speaking to ZDF, employment lawyer Alexander Bredereck stressed that workers in Germany are not obliged to be in contact with their employer while they are on holiday. “Holidays are work-free,” Bredereck added, stressing that even employees at a managerial level who leave their contact details in case of emergency don’t have to pick up the phone during holidays.

Anja Piel of the German Federation of Trade Unions (DGB) added that time off work is an important part of work itself. Speaking to the broadcaster, Piel highlighted that employees have genuinely relaxing holidays when they are totally switched off from their working lives and that regular holidays ensure that employees are healthier and more productive at work.

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