No holiday e-mail break for Americans – survey

Americans will take a break from the office over the Christmas holidays but most won’t stop checking their work e-mails, according to a survey.

The Harris Interactive survey conducted for Xobni, an email software firm, found that 59 percent of employed American adults will consult work e-mails over the holidays.

Fifty-five per cent will check work e-mails at least once a day and 28 per cent will do so multiple times throughout the day, the survey found.

Forty-one per cent said they were annoyed, frustrated or resentful over receiving work e-mails from a co-worker or a client while on vacation.

Nineteen per cent, on the other hand, said they were “thankful” or “relieved” at having the distraction of receiving work e-mails while on holiday. Forty-two per cent of those who check work e-mail while on vacation said staying up-to-date on email eases their workload when they return to the office.

Men are more likely to check work e-mail while on holiday than women, the survey found, with 67 per cent of men doing so and just 50 per cent of women.