Off on a holiday, but stuck to work

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Most Indian professionals are unable to forget work while on a holiday, working up to three hours instead of enjoying the free time with family and friends, a study released by workplace solutions provider Regus has found.

It noted that 53 per cent of the Indians surveyed don’t forget to “adulterate” pleasure by mixing it with work and 27 per cent of respondents work over three hours each day on holiday, neglecting loved ones to feed their work addiction, it said.
While many agree that the development in technology is responsible for this trend, they are not complaining. Instead, they feel, it’s a way of growing.
When on a vacation pharmacist Suraj Prasad spends 30-45 minutes for work which sometimes goes up to two hours. He agrees that constantly replying to official mails and calls has ruined the fun of vacations, but feels the world is changing and one needs to multi-task and evolve.
“Times have changed. One needs to be in touch with the office and clients. I am in the service business so I am answerable to clients. They may know that I am holidaying, but sometimes they need to be answered. I think a little bit of work during holidays does no harm. Don’t we go to have pizza or go out during office hours? So it balances out the whole thing.”
Working during vacation is a personal choice. People can definitely do without working during vacations. HR consultant Shiv Sood says that it’s easy to delegate work to people in office to ensure a two-way benefit — the person on vacation is not disturbed and by delegating work, important work is addressed on time. However, if you like to manage most things, it makes sense to do a little work while partying hard.
“I periodically check mails and take phone calls. I am always enquiring about Wifi availability in restaurants and hotels. In fact this time when I was vacationing in Goa, I paid `100/day to get WiFi in my room. Technology has helped us stay connected and professionals to grow,” adds Shiv.
Karthik Naralasetty is his own boss and that means he has added responsibilities. For him running a startup is more exciting than a vacation. “I love working while travelling and it makes my vacation pleasant and happy,” he chuckles.
It’s important to get potential work or updates on pending work, feels entrepreneur Vikram Mayor. He says, “Vacations have been spoiled by the existence of Internet because you feel responsible to answer queries. Work has become a part of existence. Even on holidays, it makes me feel connected. In fact, when I don’t log in I crave for it. It’s an addiction.”