No Time for Downtime, Study Shows Most People Take Work Related Devices on Vacation

Posted 05/28/2010 at 5:34am | by Paul Lilly

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It's tough to enjoy the sand and palm trees when you're busy hammering out an email or text message to your boss, but for most, that's exactly what ends up happening when on vacation. According to the second annual Mobile Messaging Study conducted by Osterman Research, some 79 percent of respondents said they take their work-related devices with them to the Bahamas, or wherever else it is they're vacationing.

"Mobile messaging has become crucial to businesses and employees alike, but constant access to email makes it difficult for some workers to unwind," said Michael Osterman, president of Osterman Research. "Mobile access to email is certainly a critical aspect of how we do business now, but it is important to remember that there is a time and place for everything."

Nevertheless, work often gets in the way of finding some downtime. Almost half of all respondents admitted to traveling up to 10 miles to check email during a vacation, and more than one third even check their mail on a mobile device during vacation activities like skiing, horseback riding, and biking, Osterman Research reports.