TechWeek Readers Travel Light On Holiday

We are partway through summer, and it looks like our readers are having a good time. Those of you that have holidays seem to be taking little or no work with you.

Despite the rise of mobile devices, and the expectation that staff will be available at all times, nearly a quarter of TechWeekEurope readers do not take work on holiday with them, according to our latest poll.  Other surveys regularly find a big majority will work when on holiday – at least to the extent of checking emails.

Sunshine not clouds

Mobile devices can get at work emails from anywhere in the world, and cloud services mean your office can go with you wherever you go. Coupled with this, the recession could encourage employers to expect more dedication and productivity from their staff, leading to pressure to remain connected to office work, even when on holiday.

Happily, 23 percent of TechWeek readers simply don’t work when on holiday and another fifth (19 percent will take a smartphone only. This gives them the ability to keep an eye on work developments, while limiting the amount of actual work they can do.

Nearly nine percent plan to get by with just a tablet, which is again a device for consuming information about work rather than much serious interaction.

Only 14 percent will be taking a laptop with them, presumably along with phones and/or tablet, putting paid to much relaxation while away.

Of course, it’s not all good news. Seventeen percent of you are too busy to take a holidy, while for nearly a fifth this is a theoretical problem. Eighteen percent said they do not have a job.

Three years ago, we carried out a similar survey (under our previous name eWEEK Europe) which found that 28 percent of readers would not do any work while on holiday.

So how are you getting around? Try our Tech Transport quiz!