Most U.S. workers say it's OK to contact them while away
Most workers in the United States will not "unplug" from the office during their vacation this summer as 71 per cent said it's appropriate to contact them while on vacation, according to a survey from Intermedia, provider of cloud services.
If co-workers must connect with them, 32 per cent said email is best, followed by 20 per cent who said calling is preferred. The least appropriate is text messaging, according to 18 per cent of the 2,398 workers responding to the survey.
"What used to be reserved for the workaholics is now the norm," says Manlio Carrelli, chief marketing officer at Intermedia. "With smartphone usage now mainstream and tablet usage on the way up, the wall between work and personal time is being broken down. Professionals can work from anywhere — including vacation. This isn't necessarily about reducing personal time, it's about workers having flexibility to get work done on their terms, inside and outside the office."
Email is also the preferred mode of communication at the office while phone calls — specifically voice messages — are passé. When asked about their least favourite method of general communication with colleagues or business clients, 31 per cent said voicemail is their least favourite, followed by instant messaging (29 per cent) and texting (26 per cent).
