Only 10% of employers hire in temporary staff to cover the work loads of holidaying staff.

These are the findings of recruitment outfit, Manpower.

According to the research, nearly half of Brits return from their summer holiday to a mountain of work.

Seven per cent admitted to being contacted while on holiday suggesting that for many there is little respite while on leave.

Greg Teare, operations director, Manpower UK said: “Summer holidays should be about completely relaxing and forgetting the daily routine. This won’t happen if people spend their holiday worrying about what work is piling up, how many emails are in their inbox or the additional burden their holiday is causing colleagues.”

Manpower suggests the following tips for people preparing to go on holiday:

• Clear your desk and do your filing before you go – the last thing you need is to return to mountains of paperwork.


• Let colleagues, clients and other contacts know that you will be away. If you have them, alter your voicemail and out of office messages to let people know what date you return.


• Nominate a colleague to deal with urgent answerphone or email messages – and ensure you return the favour when they go away!


• Complete outstanding projects before you go – that way you don’t have to worry about them whilst on holiday.


• Ensure a colleague covers any ongoing tasks - prepare a handover document for colleagues so you can enjoy your holiday reassured that they are properly briefed.


• Don’t schedule any meetings for the day you return – you will have enough to catch-up-on without adding extra pressures.

A total of 1,800 people were quizzed as part of the survey.