Nine in 10 Singaporeans can’t switch off from work during their holidays

Singapore — If you find yourself responding to work group messages on WhatsApp or replying to office emails during your family holiday, you are hardly alone. In fact, nine out of 10 Singaporeans are unable to fully relax and switch off from work while vacationing, as discovered in a regional survey done by Holiday Inn Resorts.

A total of 521 respondents were surveyed across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and South Africa. And 42 per cent of respondents from Singapore said they have had to either occasionally or frequently work during their holidays.

Of course, we can attribute this to the Singaporean workaholic culture, but take heart that Singapore did not fare the worst. Fifty per cent of Japanese travellers surveyed said they have occasionally or frequently had to work while on holiday, and 30 per cent of them have had to cancel or postpone their trips because of work commitments, compared with 18 per cent of Singaporean respondents who had to do the same.

“We know from simple observation that holidays — and in particular, family holidays — just aren’t the priority they used to be,” said Lee Lin Teo, head of brand management for the Holiday Inn Brand Family across Asia, Middle East and Africa at InterContinental Hotels Group. “The majority of us are expected to always be ‘contactable’ for our jobs, and as a result, working during our breaks has increasingly become the norm.”

She added that the hotel group has commissioned the survey to understand the impact that this work culture was having on families. “It is an effort to encourage consumers to re-prioritise their holidays and do more of the things they love while on vacation with their families.”

THREE WAYS TO STOP WORRYING ABOUT WORK WHILE ON HOLIDAY

We know it is hard to totally switch off because we are responsible, kiasu or simply expected by the bosses to reply. But there are ways to cope with.

1. Switch off push notifications. Go into settings and just turn that darn button off for your work emails or group what’sapp chat or Slack alerts. Alert your colleagues that you will be doing so to give them a heads-up so they know not to contact you unless it’s a major emergency.

2. Dedicate a small amount of time everyday

Ok, if you are a control freak, set aside sometime every day, perhaps 15 minutes before breakfast or after tea to just reply to whatever is required. Leave the rest alone. People will get the message.

3. Do not get a data plan and a hotel with free Wifi

By making it more prohibitive, there is less of a tendency to log on every now and then just to check your email. After all, do you really want to spend US$20 on Wifi to hear your colleagues venting about work situations?