Checking Work E-Mail During the Holidays? You're Not Alone [STATS]

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The survey was conducted online among 2,179 adults, 18 and older, earlier this month.

The survey also delved into how these workers feel about receiving these e-mails while on a holiday. Forty-one percent of those who receive work-related e-mails during time off say that they're typically annoyed or frustrated to see the messages in their inbox. It looks like younger adults — specifically, 56% in the 18 to 34 demographic — are most likely to express these sentiments. Meanwhile, only 39% of those between 35 and 44, and 30% of those in the 45-54 age range, admit to being annoyed by work-related e-mails during the holidays. At least 12% of respondents admit to feeling dread.

But despite negative feelings, 42% of those who check their work e-mail also say they feel it's important to stay up-to-date. Some believe it helps ease workloads — and a small number (19%) admit that the e-mails occasionally serve as a welcome distraction. Men are most likely to check their work e-mails during breaks. And as far as regions are concerned, those in the southern U.S. — 63%, in fact — are more likely to check their inboxes.

These new findings seem to be in line with a previous Xobni and Harris Interactive survey, which we reported on in September. The earlier survey looked into the habits of 2,200 workers in the U.S. and the UK. In that one, at least 50% of Americans admitted to checking e-mail during vacation days.