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A new report into the out of hours activities of British employees has found that workers seem to really like being at work – either that, or they have difficulty in switching off from the intensity of their contracted hours.
The Always-On Workforce Report 2026, conducted by MyPerfectCV, found 92% of the 1,500 professionals it surveyed said they are carrying out work tasks and answering emails and messages beyond their contracted hours.
In addition, workers have admitted to working while off sick, and feeling guilty when requesting annual leave - and interestingly, a significant chunk of the respondents stated that management expectations drive their inability to switch off.
Of particular concern are the report’s findings that concern sickness. Of the 1,500 respondents (500 from the UK, and 1,000 across Spain, Italy, France, and Germany), 91% of UK workers admitted working while off sick. Moreover, 34% “frequently” worked while feeling unwell rather than taking a sick day, with 57% admitting to doing the same “occasionally.”
The survey’s conclusion to these statistics is they point “to a culture of presenteeism where employees feel compelled to push through illness rather than prioritise recovery.”
Meanwhile, annual leave also remains a problem for British workers. Employers have a duty responsibly manage annual leave requests, refusing or rejecting requests with plenty of notice, and only refusing by citing valid business reasons, such as staff shortages. Yet according to this survey, 31% admit to anxiety asking for their statutory holidays.
One interesting result from the report is what is behind the inability for UK workers to “switch off.” 50% of those surveyed blamed heavy workloads, while not-inconsiderable 44% put it down to management expectations.
55% of employees admitted to checking emails, responding to messages, and carrying out work tasks every day, which seems to point to a blurring of the boundary between professional and personal time. It is notably higher than the European equivalent of 29%.
Not switching off from work can have serious impacts on personal relationships and mental health. To underline this, 34% said that they always find it “difficult to disconnect from work mentally during their time off.”
"Being 'always on' isn't defined by one behaviour - it's the accumulation of small decisions to stay connected," noted Jasmine Escalera from MyPerfectCV.
"Whether it's checking emails on holiday, responding after hours, or working through illness, the lines between work and personal time have become increasingly blurred for many UK employees."
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Christian Cawley has extensive experience as a writer and editor in consumer electronics, IT and entertainment media. He has contributed to TechRadar since 2017 and has been published in Computer Weekly, Linux Format, ComputerActive, and other publications.
He currently heads up the team at smart home website Matter Alpha, and writes about retro gaming at Gaming Retro.
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