Most workaholics don’t secure their mobile devices

Bags packed, flights booked and foreign currency in their pockets. The workforce might be jetting off but they’re definitely not leaving the daily grind behind.

Instead, according to a survey by Origin Storage – of 1,000 office workers in the City of London, a whopping 73% of workers will check in with the office, whilst on holiday.

The results also show that over 50% of those planning a summer break abroad will remain in contact with the office every day to ensure things stay on track during their absence, by checking email accounts and text.

Of this group, 32% check their emails more than once a day and if you’re the boss, it seems you never truly rest as 83% admitted that they will be in touch with their offices throughout their entire vacation.

Key Highlights :

• 73% of workers phone, text or email their places of work during their holiday of which 54% will check emails at least once a day and 32% more than once a day
• 41% take mobile devices on holiday for work purposes
• 62% expect their employers to contact them whilst away on holiday
• 44% of respondents feel that being contactable gives them job security
• 51% of laptops are left totally unsecured without even a password for protection
• Only 26% of these laptops will be encrypted.

In a worrying new statistic, 51% of those storing work on their laptops are doing so without any security whatsoever with not even a password for protection.

Let’s hope they’re not left behind at the airport, in a café or on the beach.

Andy Cordial, MD of Origin Storage concludes, “We seem to have changed to a nation of workaholics. Only 23% (a jump from the survey conducted just 8 months ago from 35%) of our respondents have no contact whatsoever with work during their holiday which puts them firmly in the minority. Although on the surface this may seem like a good trend, especially for cash struck organisations, we deal with the aftermath from these industrious workers when company secrets have gone AWOL. The reality is that when corporate information is accessed from a mobile device, whether it’s personal or company owned, and it’s misplaced there are consequences”.