Unable to switch off

While work commitments forced more than half of UK business owners to remain in the country to endure the coldest summer on record since 1993, many of those in the construction sector who did manage to get away this year found themselves unable to switch off from work while they were on holiday.

Instead, they spent time worrying about their return to the office and missing out on valuable family time.

According to research by Bibby Financial Services, almost a quarter (23%) of construction firm owners and managers said they were unable to devote enough time and attention to the holiday.

Many confess to having regularly checked emails and making or receiving business-related telephone calls when they should have been enjoying time away with their nearest and dearest, with one in five (20%) admitting they checked their voicemail or inbox on a daily basis and a similar proportion (16%) at least every few hours.

Elsewhere, 17% expressed a degree of irritation at not being able to make or receive business calls while they were away, although a fifth (20%) said they were left frustrated at being contacted by clients and colleagues.

But Bibby Financial Services’ research suggests problems for owners and managers of construction firms often started before the holiday. Forty-three percent say they worked extra hours so they could actually go away, with a fifth (21%) claimed they put in between 15 and 21 additional hours during the week before their vacation.

Bibby Financial Services’ construction finance specialist, Jason Heath said: “The pressures on construction company business owners are such that an alarming number have found it difficult to switch off and enjoy some time off with their families. I think it is indicative of just how committed they are to seeing their enterprises succeed, particularly during difficult conditions.

“It could also be due to the fact that small and medium-sized businesses don’t always have the support network required to completely switch off and as a result are missing out on quality time with the family as they continue to work through the best bits of a family break.”

In addition to the issue of working on holiday, many owners and managers of construction firms aren’t managing to take anywhere near their full annual leave allowance. More than one in 10 (15%) admit they have not taken any time off during the past year because of work commitments, while more than a third (39%) even say they have put off holidaying entirely in the last 12 months because of work commitments.  

www.bibbyfinancialservices.com