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Outside office hours? 57% of workers say they must be available

June 15, 2015

Technology advancements have blurred the lines between private time and work time, according to the Randstad Global Workmonitor survey released today.

The survey found 57% of global respondents indicated their employers expect them to be available outside regular office hours, up from 40% in a similar survey in 2010. Additionally, 47% of the employees reported they are also expected to be available during holidays. China, India, Turkey and Hong Kong ranked well above the global average on both statements, while employers in the Nordics and Western Europe ranked on the lower end.

On the flip side, 64% of the respondents say they sometimes deal with private matters during working hours, up significantly from 2010 when 40% of the respondents recognized this.

Although more than half of the employees do not mind handling work-related matters in their private time, 38% feel pressured to respond to work-related calls and emails when on holiday. Hong Kong tops this list with 77% and Denmark is at the low end with 17%.

The survey also found 39% of employees handle work-related matters when on holiday because they like to stay involved. This percentage is highly influenced by 75% in India. Globally, 74% of employees stated they are able to let go of work easily when they are on a break. This in an increase compared to 2013 when 67% of the employees felt this way.

Randstad’s Global Workmonitor survey,which measures employee’s expectations about finding another job, also found an increase in the number of employees who expect to find another job within six months. The mobility index reached 110.

Overall, 24% of the employees surveyed worldwide actually changed jobs in the last six months, up from 22% last quarter. The majority of the actual job changes are people finding a job with a different employer.

The quantitative study is conducted via an online questionnaire. The minimal sample size is 400 interviews per country. Research for the study was conducted between April 17 and May 4, 2015.