Office contact 'ruining holidays'

People taking away their laptops and Blackberry devices are having their holidays ruined by constant contact with the office, it has been found.

According to insurance provider MORE TH>N, 3.6 million people did not manage to recharge their batteries while on holiday this year, with interruptions from work being cited as the biggest cause of stress.

Some 37 per cent of people blamed advances in technology for allowing them to be contacted wherever they were in the world.

However, according to a study by 3 UK, 14 per cent of people said they felt it was essential for them to be able to be contacted by work as they wanted to remain in control of their duties, while 31 per cent said they felt they should stay in touch in case of an emergency.

Carmel McCarthy, PR manager for MORE TH>N, said that although some people may work in pressured jobs, they should not let their work intrude on their time away.

"People forget that the most precious time is the two weeks they take off with their family. They should leave the technology at home and go and enjoy it because companies will appreciate them coming back refreshed," she remarked.