James's blog: Holidays

I'm writing this blog while on holiday.  I've been looking forward to this holiday for ages; becoming giddier with anticipation and excitement as it approached in a way that hasn't happened since I was a child myself.  My last holiday was ruined by work.  And the one before that.  And the one before that.  I promised my wife that this time would be different.

Yet, on the morning of departure, I found myself frantically trying to find more space in our crammed car to fit a laptop and a bag full of work.  I've flagged to my superiors for a number of weeks now that I'm due to be away, and have sought to re-allocate work and arrange for partner supervision.  Yet there seems to be an expectation that you should always be available for, and willing to, work.  What I need is a holiday destination without Wi-fi or network coverage.

Shortly after my "part-time" working arrangements began, I spoke with one of the partners I work with to get some feedback on how things were going.  I was told that if the conversation had taken place a few weeks previously it would have been a very different message, but that the arrangements now seemed to be working better as I was now managing to progress more on my day off.

While catching up with another partner over coffee recently, a similarly depressing message was relayed.  The partner in question noted that everyone needs a break every now and again to re-charge their batteries, but conceded that this was out of the question given the demands of the workplace and that people ought to be thankful that their holidays weren't cancelled, even if that meant having to work during them.

There was press coverage recently on the impact of the intrusion of digital technology, which can lead to employees accessing work e-mails on holiday as well as at night and weekends.  While technology fans the flames of the problem, it is not solely to blame and, given that continued advances in technology are only likely to make 24/7 working even easier, it's clear that a cultural shift (by employers and employees alike) would be necessary to stem the tide.  While I accept that it would be very difficult to achieve this in the City, the suggestion that it might contribute to low productivity (the UK's productivity is the second lowest in the G7 according to the ONS) is sobering.

I know I am not alone in feeling ground down by the sense that I am never off work duty, and when spending time with my family there's a constant nagging at the back of my mind that I ought to be working.  So going forward I'm going to try to ignore that nagging, and listen instead only to the voice in my mind which tells me, when I'm working, that I ought to be spending more time away from work and with my family.  That might, in fact probably will, impact on my future performance appraisals (and, therefore, my salary and bonus), but it will inevitably improve my emotional wellbeing and, I believe, that of my wife and daughter.  In the meantime, if anyone can recommend any child-friendly holiday destinations without Wi-fi or network coverage, please let me know!

James is in his early 30s and father to a beautiful two year old girl.  He now works four days a week at a City law firm, spending the fifth day of the week colouring, playing dolls with, and looking after, his daughter.