There’s little today’s average person can do about the need to work. With the economy still in the doldrums combined with ever-increasing costs of living, many households have more than one working adult to make ends meet. It’s little wonder that, even while on holiday, most people tend to worry about work. This contributes to work stress, an inability to truly rest plus lower levels of work performance at best, or looming breakdowns at worst.

One of the culprits contributing to the inability of people to switch off is technology. Research has shown that, on holiday, most people take laptops, smartphones, or other electronic devices along. Out of 2,000 polled UK citizens, 77 per cent reported using these devices to access work emails, most of whom also responded to these emails. Ready access to such communication makes it difficult, in fact, to leave work in the workplace.

So how does the stressed-out, constantly connected employee deal with this? It’s a proven fact that time away from work is essential to help people recharge their batteries, return refreshed, and prepare themselves for new challenges with renewed vigour and recharged skill. This just doesn’t happen if there is never a complete break from the constant stream of work and information.

One suggestion is to manage one’s devices carefully while away from work. People need to understand that it’s okay to forget about work email and information while you’re out of the office. There is no boss in the world who can reasonably expect travelling employees to constantly be in the loop with emails and what’s happening at work.

Another option is the last-minute break. These are spontaneous decisions to get away from work and the world of the ordinary, even for just a few days or a weekend. It’s an excellent way to recharge one’s batteries and have some fun in the process.  The last-minute holiday from Thomson and other providers can involve calling hotels in a city or town nearby to get late deals on empty rooms, or searching around online. It can also mean getting out of season deals on flights to destinations further away. This is a valuable strategy that employees who worry about their stress levels should take seriously.

The recent recession has created widespread fear among employees of losing their jobs. This, in turn, has created in the UK a nation of stressed out, overworked citizens. Taking a break is essential to keep up the work ethic that makes economic survival possible.