Nearly half of Turks work during holiday

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Working at holidays can lead to chronic stress, health professionals say. Hürriyet photo

Nearly half the workers in Turkey will not be able to rest thoroughly during the summer vacation, according to a survey.

Some 44 percent of Turkish workers work one to three hours every day during their vacation, a world-wide survey by Regus, a global provider of flexible workspaces showed. The rate of workaholics who plan to work more than three hours a day while on holiday is about 16 percent.

Some 35 percent of the respondents said they will continue some routine work such as checking e-mails while on vacation.

The survey was done in more than 80 countries with more than 16,000 respondents.

Health professionals say those who just cannot “turn it off” and leave their smart phones and mobile computers behind face chronic stress, which may in return hinder their performance at work.

Unhealthy anxiety

Workers should really move away from the office and take the time to relax as a stressed mind leads to unhealthy anxiety.

“With smart phones netbooks and ubiquitous internet access it has become really hard to cut the link [with the office]. But it is of vital importance to give a break and have rest, take time off for family and friends to stay healthy. Burning the midnight oil to both work and be part of the family vacation pushes workers a step closer to wearing out,” said Erim Denel of the Regus Turkey.

Some 58 percent of respondents in America said they will work for at least one hour every day. America is followed by Asia, Europe and Latin America.

Greek workers top the global respondents who said they will continue with all their work activities during holiday. Poland took first place among respondents declaring they would work more than three hours a day. Turkey landed among the first 10 of this list.

“Firms have to look for ways to increase the performance of their workers and prevent them from taking work into their private lives if they want to ensure the workers stay happy, healthy and productive,” said Denel.