An Email During Vacation Sparks a Decision to Change Jobs: What "Workplaces That Don't Allow Rest" Lose

An Email Received on Vacation Can Be the Start of a Job Change

Even in front of the blue sea, the gaze is directed at the smartphone notifications.

A reply takes only a few minutes. An online meeting lasts just 30 minutes. The person might think, "This much is fine." However, this small task can sometimes be the trigger to reassess the relationship with the current workplace.

According to a German news site report, a survey conducted by market research company Appinio at the request of the job site Indeed found that more than one-third of all respondents considered a career change, such as changing jobs, during their vacation.

Notably, 64.8% of those who worked during their vacation reconsidered their occupational situation.

The survey targeted 1,000 men and women aged 18 to 65, with 500 men and 500 women, and the survey side claims it is a representative survey.

Overall, 61.6% engaged in some work during their most recent vacation, such as checking emails, answering calls, or attending meetings. However, only 13.2% said they did so willingly.

In other words, many people do not work because they like it.

They don't want to inconvenience the company or colleagues. There are projects only they understand. They fear a pile-up of work after the vacation. They worry about losing evaluation if they don't respond.

Such a sense of duty and anxiety keeps them connected to work even during vacations.

Vacations Don't Create the Desire to Change Jobs; They Make Workplace Issues More Visible

It's important to note that one cannot simply conclude a causal relationship by saying, "Working during vacation makes one want to change jobs."

Workplaces already suffering from staff shortages, concentrated roles, or high pressure are more likely to have employees who must respond during vacations and simultaneously consider changing jobs.

Nonetheless, it's easy to understand that vacations can become a crucial time for reevaluating one's workplace.

In the busyness of everyday life, one becomes overwhelmed just meeting deadlines and attending meetings, leaving no room to ponder, "Is this way of working normal?" or "Am I truly satisfied?"

When physically away from the workplace and the pace of life slows, only then do the discomforts find words.

Nighttime contacts, weekend checks, personalized tasks, ambiguous instructions, and excessive expectations from bosses, which were unconsciously accepted before, appear foreign while traveling.

While family or friends relax beside them, only they open their work devices. This scene intensifies the doubt, "Isn't my workplace even allowing me to rest?"

Vacations are not a time to generate dissatisfaction but a time when the busyness that covered dissatisfaction disappears.

Thinking Doesn't End There: Some Move on to Apply or Change Jobs

The survey found that of those who considered a career change during their most recent vacation, 15.9% actually sent out application documents, and 11.3% had already secured a new job.

There is a significant barrier between considering a job change and actually applying.

Updating resumes, comparing job listings, securing interview times, and considering life after resignation are necessary. Yet, the fact that a certain number take action indicates that working during vacations can be more than just a temporary dissatisfaction; it can be an event that shakes trust in the employment relationship.

From the company's perspective, a single email sent during vacation saying "Please check just in case" can become a message to the individual that "As long as you're with this company, there will never be a truly restful day."

Particularly dangerous is a workplace where there is no clear order, only implicit expectations.

Even if the boss thinks "No need to reply," if the boss continues to send emails during their vacation, subordinates find it hard to ignore.

Those conscious of evaluations and promotions worry, "Will not responding make me seem less motivated?"

Sometimes the atmosphere binds people more strongly than orders.

On Social Media, "Complete Disconnection" vs. "Short-Time Check"

Looking at the discussions on social media about this theme, reactions are largely divided into two.

Here, it includes not only direct comments on the original article but also public posts and community discussions about work or contact during vacations.

One stance is that "work devices should be completely turned off during vacations."

On the German-speaking board Reddit, in response to concerns about not being able to detach from work and checking work smartphones even on holidays or vacations, reactions like "close the device," "turn off notifications," and "focus on other activities like sports or reading" are common.

Also, in posts questioning bosses who send emails during vacations, opinions like "I don't check at all during vacations" and "If emergency response is needed, there should be an official duty or standby system" stand out.

There is strong opposition to systems that rely on individual responsibility and require unpaid responses.

The other stance is that "completely disconnecting makes it harder after the vacation."

In discussions on LinkedIn, voices suggest that checking only important matters for a short time can prevent facing a flood of emails or issues on the first day back.

Especially in management, specialized roles, executives, or small organizations, there are cases where projects cannot proceed without one's judgment, and some see limited contact as a realistic choice.

Furthermore, some enjoy the work itself and voluntarily engage in tasks while traveling.

If the person can choose the time and scope, stop midway without disadvantage, and it is agreed upon as an official "workation," it differs from being forced to work during vacations.

The discussions on social media indicate that one cannot judge the reality by "whether they worked or not."

What's important is whether they could choose, refuse, have their time recorded and compensated, and whether the scope during emergencies is clear.

Even a Few Minutes, Work Continues in the Mind

The issue with working during vacations is not just the time spent on tasks.

If it's just checking one email, the actual task might end in a few minutes. However, if the content is concerning, work continues in the mind during meals or travel.

The German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health considers psychological detachment from work a crucial condition for recovery.

Receiving contact outside working hours or continuously thinking about work blurs the boundary between work and personal life, hindering mental recovery.

This is not just an issue at the moment of opening a notification.

Once thoughts like "They might be waiting for a reply," "Additional questions might come," or "Is the problem escalating?" start, part of the attention remains on the work side.

Even by the seaside, psychologically, one cannot exit the office.

In such a state, increasing the number of vacation days may not lead to sufficient recovery. The quality of a vacation is determined not just by where you go but by how much you can detach from work.

Organizations That Depend on "Responsible Employees" Are Weak

Trying to resolve work during vacations through individual self-management alone misses the essence.

It's easy to say "Just don't look at notifications" or "Just refuse," but in workplaces where crucial information is concentrated on one person, no deputy is assigned, and frequent contact from the boss occurs, it's difficult to disconnect based solely on personal will.

Rather, the presence of responsible employees who respond even during vacations conceals organizational flaws.

Even with inadequate handovers, work proceeds, managers avoid increasing staff, and emergency response systems are not established. As a result, the same person is relied upon repeatedly, becomes exhausted, and ultimately changes jobs.

This is not only a loss of human resources but also a risk to business continuity.

If work stops the moment one person is completely absent, the issue lies not in that person's sense of responsibility but in the company's design.

What's needed is pre-vacation handovers, clarification of deputy authority, unification of contact points, definition of emergencies, and limitations on contactable positions and times.

Managers themselves need to ensure that when sending emails during vacations, they use scheduled sending, clearly state no reply is needed, and defer non-urgent matters until after the return.

Contact During Vacations Reflects Corporate Culture

According to the German Federal Labor Court, statutory vacations are positioned as opportunities for workers to recover.

However, it's not a simple arrangement where all contact during vacations is uniformly prohibited.

Nonetheless, a state where one must always be on standby without knowing whether the company will require work significantly restricts the freedom to use vacations.

For companies, the important thing is not "whether contact is legally permissible," but "whether that contact prevents employees from resting assuredly."

Even if formally optional, if only those who didn't reply are excluded from information, receive lower evaluations, or are blamed after returning, it is effectively mandatory.

Conversely, if contact is made only in true emergencies, the time spent responding is treated as work, compensations or substitute holidays are provided, and the person can refuse, the perception changes significantly.

The rules for contact during vacations reflect whether a company views employees as "always available resources" or respects them as individuals working long-term.

Three Things to Confirm When Considering a Job Change

Even if thoughts of work linger during vacations and you feel like opening a job site, there's no need to decide based on impulse alone.

First, confirm whether the issue is due to temporary busyness or a permanent system.

Next, specify why you worked during your vacation.

"The boss asked," "I felt sorry for my colleagues," "I wanted to stay informed," "I feared the post-vacation burden"—the necessary measures differ for each.

Finally, assess the company's willingness to improve.

Will the company act on proposals like assigning deputies, sharing information, setting contact standards during vacations, and reviewing workloads? Or will they dismiss it with "Everyone does it" or "It's expected in responsible positions"?

Their response is crucial in deciding whether to change jobs.

The discomfort felt during vacations isn't necessarily a conclusion to resign. However, it's not a small emotion that should be forgotten as soon as you return to daily life.

Being a Company Where Employees Can Rest Becomes a Condition for Retention

Salary, titles, telecommuting systems, and benefits. Companies use many conditions to recruit talent.

However, whether employees stay long-term is also influenced by the basic experience of "Can I truly rest when I take a break?"

The survey results indicate that vacations are not simply a season for job hunting.

When employees distance themselves from the workplace, they calmly reassess their relationship with the company and take action if there's strain in that relationship.

Those who work during vacations are more likely to consider changing jobs, not because of low loyalty.

Rather, having supported the workplace with responsibility until now, they may feel the limits of a state where work intrudes even into vacations.

To retain employees, it's not just about cleverly reducing contact during vacations.

It's about creating an organization that functions even when someone is absent, respecting non-working time fairly, and cultivating a culture where employees can confidently close their devices.

Can what employees open at their vacation destination be a travel map instead of work emails or job sites?

That difference will influence a company's ability to retain talent.

Source URL

Key figures from the survey conducted by Appinio commissioned by Indeed, confirming the relationship between working during vacations and the intention to change jobs.
https://www.aktiencheck.de/news/Artikel-Wer_Urlaub_arbeitet_denkt_oft_ueber_Jobwechsel-19982327

Page from Deutsche Börse publishing the same dpa-AFX distributed article. Verification of survey figures and expert opinions from Indeed.
https://live.deutsche-boerse.com/nachrichten/Wer-im-Urlaub-arbeitet-denkt-oft-auch-ueber-Jobwechsel-nach-552eec19-346b-4702-8084-1e01cc8d566b

Materials from the German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA). Used to explain psychological detachment from work and issues arising from connections outside working hours.
https://www.baua.de/DE/Angebote/Publikationen/Praxis/A112.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=14

Judgment of the German Federal Labor Court. Used to confirm the recovery purpose of statutory vacations and the legal background regarding contact and standby status during vacations.
https://www.bundesarbeitsgericht.de/entscheidung/2-azr-55-25/

Example of concerns about checking work devices even during vacations and the response to turn them off, from the German-speaking work community on Reddit.
https://www.reddit.com/r/arbeitsleben/comments/1ixpeus/

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