Global travel portal Expedia.com which has 31 million customers globally found in their recent survey that India ranked fourth amongst the vacation deprived on the world. I was not surprised to see Japan on top of the list though I was surprised to find the US at No.2 and Australia at No. 3. I always thought people in the US were serious about their vacations but I guess things have changed with the times.
The most commonly stated reason for depriving one self of a vacation seems to be the fear that taking one would in some way jeopardize their career. Who wants to be labelled a slacker for taking time off the job? Who wants to return after a terrific vacation to find someone else sitting behind your desk?Young Indians too are showing tendencies to become workaholics to promote their careers. The survey shows that most Indians get an average of 26 days as annual leave but are able to use only 22 days on average. Amongst the cities in India, Delhi apparently led the pack when it came to hours per week, followed by Mumbai and Bangalore.
More than 50 % of the respondents in India felt emails and messages from the office were spoiling their vacations! Imagine enjoying the beauty of a picturesque place only to have a mails come in reminding you of this quarter’s unfinished goals or giving you enough work to keep you away from your next vacation!
This survey covered professionals in 11 countries at managerial levels.
People at Work & Play 