Yahoo Finance Three-quarters of Canadians will work extra before, after vacation
About 75 per cent of Canadians say they will likely have to clock in extra hours at work before and after a one-week vacation, according to a new survey.
The results come from a poll released by human resource firm ADP Canada.
The survey found that those who are likely to put in this extra work are also spending an average of 21 additional hours at the office, 10 beforehand and 11 after the fact, to make up for lost time.
ADP Canada said that this extra effort associated with vacation may dissuade some Canadians from taking time off.
In fact, they pointed to a survey by Northstar Research Partners in August, which found that on average Canadians are leaving three days of unused vacation time on the table each year.
“Our latest ADP Sentiment Survey provides a good explanation for why many Canadians may be reluctant to take a vacation, and may not feel completely rested when they do,” Virginia Brailey, vice-president of strategy and marketing at ADP Canada, said in a press release.
“While holidays are important for physical and mental health, our study shows that for many Canadians the extra work required to take that vacation has become a bit like a time off tax.”
Furthermore, the poll found that women are disproportionately affected by this workplace pressure.
The results showed that 49 per cent of women will have to do extra work, compared to 40 per cent of their male counterparts.
There are also regional differences among workplaces in Canada.
The study found that workers in Quebec are the least likely to put in extra time before and after a holiday, with 53 per cent versus saying they expect additional hours for both periods compared to 82 per cent and 79 per cent respectively for the rest of Canada.
In contrast, nearly 90 of workers in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta said they are clocking in extra time around vacations.
The ADP Canada survey polled 1,554 Canadians between Nov. 21 and Nov. 24, but only 808 respondents were currently employed.
