Future of work: As the pressure to stay connected grows, more than half of U.S. workers are finding it hard to truly disconnect during planned time off, according to a recent survey by LinkedIn. The data revealed that higher-level employees, particularly those at the director level and above, are more likely to check in with work while on vacation — a trend that could be contributing to rising stress and burnout among senior leaders.
Zoom in: According to the Workforce Confidence survey, 54% of individual contributors report checking in with colleagues during their vacation time. That number climbs to 70% among managers and a notable 77% among senior leaders, such as directors and executives.
- But it’s not just the act of checking in that’s causing problems. The survey found that feelings of guilt over taking time off are more common the further up the corporate ladder employees climb.
- While 35% of individual contributors say they feel guilty for not working during their time off, that number increases to 37% for managers and spikes to 41% for directors and senior leaders.
Why it’s important: The findings underscore the growing struggle among employees to fully unplug from work, especially in leadership roles where the pressure to remain available can be more intense. As remote and hybrid work models become more prevalent, the lines between personal time and work continue to blur, leaving many workers feeling they can never truly disconnect.
Experts weigh in: “That unplugging needs to be incorporated into our daily lives. If it doesn't start there, we are bound to have problems unplugging when we take a day off or go on a vacation,” Ashna Patel, demand generation analyst at Ascent Cloud, said in a LinkedIn post. “We need to look at unplugging as a reason to nurture our mind and body to feel energetic and give others opportunities to thrive and balance our work-life.”
Bottom line: The survey raises questions about whether companies are doing enough to promote work-life balance and support employees in taking time off. As the pressures of staying connected during vacation persist, finding ways to encourage full disengagement could become crucial to preventing burnout at all levels of an organization.
