23. Read the newspaper article entitled “Third of workers refuse to take all their holidays”. Sum it up in 7-10 sentences.

How do the workers stay in contact with their employers when they are away? Why do they refuse to take all their holidays? Compare with your country.

What does ‘suffer from 'backlog blues’’ mean?

Third of workers refuse to take all their holidays

The Daily Mail

15th July, 2005

One in three British workers fail to take their full annual holiday entitlement, a survey has shown.

Instead, they put in 36million hours of free overtime, giving bosses almost £1billion in unpaid work every year.

And even those who do go on holiday often cannot bear to tear themselves away altogether and stay in touch to ensure they keep up with developments.

The survey of nearly 6,000 workers by the Chartered Management Institute found nearly half stay in contact with their employer when they are away.

The findings suggest that calls to end Britain's long-hours culture in the workplace are falling on stony ground.

The CMI said employees need to realise that 'switching off ' is better for them in the long term, while companies need to do more to promote better practices.

The organisation found that the number of people with five weeks holiday entitlement a year has grown from 56 per cent in 2003 to 66 per cent today.

Forty-nine per cent stay in touch with their boss while away, while 68 per cent said they would respond to requests from their employer while on holiday.

The survey also showed many workers, especially those in senior positions, put in extra hours to make up for time lost on holiday. The 36million total saves firms £880 million a year. And even when workaholic staff finally do go on holiday, many find it difficult to relax, the survey revealed.

Regularly check emails

Almost half - 48 per cent - regularly check their work emails and 43 per cent continue to monitor voicemails.

In an effort to keep in touch with colleagues, 57 per cent take work mobile phones with them, 20 per cent take laptop computers and 14 per cent visit internet cafes. Nearly one in three said they face 'deadline drama' on holiday, while six per cent said they lack confidence in colleagues' ability to manage during their absence.

Almost one in four - 24 per cent - said they do not want to let clients down, while 18 per cent said they find it hard to 'let go' of their work while on holiday.

A total of 23 per cent said they suffer from 'backlog blues,' meaning they become worried about the amount of work they might face on their return.

Almost 60 per cent expect to find more than 100 emails waiting for them when they go back to work.

'Take a proper break'

Jo Causon, corporate marketing director at the CMI, said: "It's long been accepted that the pressure to perform has led to Britain becoming a nation of workaholics.

"However, the hours people put in do not always guarantee optimum results, because quantity is not the same as quality.

"Employers are certainly beginning to recognise this and are encouraging staff to take a proper break, but the onus must now be on managers to follow that lead."

The North East of England has the biggest number of workaholics - in the region, 76 per cent leave contact details with the boss.

By contrast, the most relaxed emplyees are in the North West, where less than of workers bother to leave behind such information.