Over half (58 percent) of British employees plan their holidays during work hours every week, according to a new study from personal finance comparison site finder.com.
The average employee spends 29 minutes planning getaways every week, meaning they waste more than three working days a year holiday shopping. Over a million Brits spend more than three hours a week planning potential trips.
On a national scale, this is costing UK businesses £180 million in wages per week or £9.3 billion annually, with 125 million working days lost on holiday planning.
Millennials are the most guilty when it comes to researching trips at work, with almost three in four (74 percent) doing so every week. In contrast, only four in 10 (40 percent) baby boomers and over half of Gen X workers (57 percent) get side-tracked.
When it comes to gender, male employees are more likely to get holiday distraction – 63 percent regularly check out potential trips compared to 52 percent of females. Men also spend 33 minutes browsing every week as opposed to 26 minutes for women, on average.
Interestingly, while Australians are generally blessed with an enviable climate compared with the UK’s, additional research from finder.com found that Aussies are more likely to plan holidays at work (64 percent versus 58 percent) and spend almost as twice as long (57 minutes in total) doing so.
London is the UK region that’s most distracted by potential holidays, losing 39 minutes every week. This is followed by 34 minutes in the West Midlands, while East Anglians lose the smallest amount of time at just 21 minutes per week. Scottish workers are the least likely to be distracted by holiday planning with almost half (46 percent) never browsing in the office.
Commenting on the research, Jon Ostler, UK CEO at finder.com, said:
‘It’s not surprising that Brits are distracted by holiday planning while at work, especially during the current heatwave. We’re also bombarded with beautiful holiday Instagram posts every day, which doesn’t help. No one wants to spend ages planning a holiday though; not to mention your employer. If you want the process to be more hassle-free, then there are simple steps you can take to get the best deal for the perfect holiday.”
Rebecca joined the HRreview editorial team in January 2016. After graduating from the University of Sheffield Hallam in 2013 with a BA in English Literature, Rebecca has spent five years working in print and online journalism in Manchester and London. In the past she has been part of the editorial teams at Sleeper and Dezeen and has founded her own arts collective.
