In a recent survey, gartner found that 42% of US business users check their email whilst on holiday and 23% check at some point during the weekend. During the working day, users check their mail at least 6 times a day and spend an average of 49 minutes dealing with email, this appears to be a tough habit to break.
“Business use of cell phones, instant messaging and e-mail has crept into our lives on a 24 by 7 basis,” said Maurene Caplan Grey, Gartner senior research analyst. “The connected vacationer is always on the alert for business interruptions. For better or for worse, 42 percent of us go online to look for business e-mails during vacation.”
Although users reported receiving an average of 22 emails per day, less than 30% of these mails required immediate attention and are up to 30% are unsolicited spam. This does not deter the business user though, who is devoted to his inbox whether in the office or on holiday with the kids.
“E-mail has become the corporate security blanket of this decade,” continued Grey. “If executives don’t get their 22 e-mails per day, they actually miss them and begin to feel out of the loop. We’ve become a country that thrives on being connected. The thought of communication happening without our knowledge keeps us tethered to the workplace,” she concluded.
