Press Releases

~ Research reveals the average UK worker wastes 3.4 days’ holiday a year winding down from workplace woes ~
~ Lexmark advises UK workers to let wireless printing help them do more~

British workers take an average 3.4 days to wind down from work while on their summer holidays. Total summer holiday time ‘lost’ to workplace worrying amounts to around 68 million days.

Research carried out by Ipsos MORI on behalf of Lexmark found that 83 per cent of the 941 UK workers questioned take anywhere between one (31 per cent) and seven days (five per cent) to relax into their summer holidays. One per cent of people admit that they never totally wind down.
 
The research showed that the countdown to summer holidays also piles on the pressure with two out of five workers claiming that their stress levels increase in the days leading up to their breaks. Women are more affected than men, with 14 per cent admitting that stress ‘increases greatly’ before their holidays.

To help relieve stress, workers need to maximise their efficiency by creating a more productive home office to get through those extra hours worked and last minute projects that usually precede holidays. Lexmark recently announced a new line of wireless All-in-One printers to do just that. Being more productive in your home office starts with going wireless  which allows you to work and print from the location in your home where you do your best work. Also, with the added functionality found in All-in-Ones, users can print scan and copy with only one device.

Once on holiday, to help relax during their holiday, UK workers favour spending time with family (32 per cent), reading (22 per cent) and ‘lounging around’ (20 per cent). Five per cent of people opted to switch their mobiles off to relax. 

This syndrome was also apparent when people took the odd day off of work. Twenty three per cent of respondents say they work more hours than usual before a single day off.

“These results suggest the UK is working harder than ever,” said Marcus Harvey, general manager, Consumer Printer Division at Lexmark. “Summer holidays used to be a chance to relax, yet increasingly workers are finding it hard to unwind. With holidays being taken over by workplace worries, British workers need to make sure they do all they can to avoid ‘Summer Holiday Stress’ syndrome. Simple things like working from home in the run up to a holiday can help you keep focused, with the absence of office distractions. Our wireless printers allow you to achieve the work you would set out to achieve in your office.”