Europeans always in work mode

StepStone poll: Over two-thirds of Europeans would answer a call from their boss while on holiday

Düsseldorf, September 2011. Most Europeans are prepared to answer work calls while they're on holiday. This is the outcome of a recent survey carried out by European job board StepStone that involved 15,248 participants in eight European countries. Almost three out of four (70%) respondents confirmed that they work while they're on holiday if it's necessary. Only 30% of those polled said they are completely out of work mode while they're away.

The survey’s results show some interesting differences between countries. While more than a third of employees from Germany (39%), Austria (42%) and the Netherlands (40%) don't get out of their deckchairs when their mobile rings, Scandinavians seem to be much more available: the vast majority of employees from Sweden (81%) and Norway (89%) would answer a call from their boss. But this doesn't mean they're stressed or under pressure: almost three-quarters of the Swedes and 81% of the Norwegians we polled pick up the phone because they really like their job. Only 8% work while they're on holiday because they fear the negative consequences of not doing so.

Denmark is a Scandinavian exception: more than a third of Danish employees (37%) don't work on their holidays. Things are also different in France and Germany, where almost one person in eight (16% and 15% respectively) feels obliged to answer a call from their employer, despite not wanting to.

To view the detailed results of this StepStone survey that was conducted in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, follow this link.

Press artwork is available on request.