Nine out of 10 British entrepreneurs now admit to WFH – that’s working from holiday – as they are unable to put down their laptops even when sunning themselves on the beach.
The frantic workers admit to putting ‘business over the beach’ with one in 12 never putting away their laptop.
It comes as a third of businesses now allow their employees to log in from anywhere across the world, as reported by accountancy firm RSM UK.
But jetsetters TUI claim that this has left the Britons with a ‘downtime deficit’ – as we forfeit our spare time to pick up slack from across the globe.
Their figures show a third of personal trainers took just one or two days of holiday in the entirety of last year – with more than a quarter of photographers and designers admitting to doing the dame.
Dilly Carter, best known for her business ‘Decluttering Dolly’, which features on BBC’s Sort Your Life Out, admitted that her work dominates her breaks away.
Dilly Carter, best known for her business ‘Decluttering Dolly’, which features on BBC’s Sort Your Life Out, admitted that her work dominates her breaks away
The frantic workers admit to putting ‘business over the beach’ with one in 12 never putting away their laptop while on holiday
Toy manufacturer Paolo Dyboski, who was born in Milan and grew up in Liguria, Genova, said the Covid pandemic allowed ways of working that hadn’t been seen as acceptable before
The 30-year-old diversity and inclusion consultant works for three companies – all of which allow her to work remotely from wherever she chooses
Dilly, who boasts 400,000 followers online, knows all too well the sacrifice that comes with running your own business.
She said: ‘I may be a master of finding tranquillity within my home through decluttering, but decluttering my mind is a different story and has taken me a lot more practice.
‘Growing a business and raising my 10-year-old daughter are two passion projects I wouldn’t change for the world, but taking a holiday has certainly taken a back seat in the early years when all I could think about was getting Declutter Dollies off the ground.
‘I wish I could tell my younger self to take that trip away, put my phone on airplane mode and completely unplug from the daily grind, as we all know you come back clearer and even more focused to succeed.’
Other top professions that struggled to switch off and take a proper break were plumbers (22 per cent), makeup artists (20 per cent), electricians (19 per cent) and hairdressers (18 per cent).
Those working in the hospitality industry also struggle to go on holiday, as do farmers and shopkeepers.
But not everyone is complaining about the new system, with some entrepreneurs left thrilled as they base their life on being able to work from their adventures.
Toy manufacturer Paolo Dyboski, 53, has been remote working since December 2020 and has logged in from France, Spain, Germany, the US and the UK – she has even admitted to taking a meeting on a paddleboard.
Ms Dyboski now lives in a van with her home-schooled 14-year-old son
Ms Dyboski, who also chairs Welsh refugee charity Pobl i Bobl, has even taken a meeting on a paddleboard
Ms Dyboski’s team is based in North Wales and she believes that allowing employees to work remotely from abroad has been great for moral, as well as productivity
The mother-of-three, who was born in Milan and grew up in Liguria, Genova, lives in a van with her home-schooled 14-year-old son.
‘It’s really positive for him because I’ve got time when he needs it,’ Ms Dyboski, who also chairs Welsh refugee charity Pobl i Bobl, told MailOnline.
‘It’s incredible. We have been into prehistoric caves, we’ve been exploring marine reserves. The kind of things that are biology or history hands on that he wouldn’t get otherwise.’
Ms Dyboski’s team is based in North Wales and she believes that allowing employees to work remotely from abroad has been great for moral, as well as productivity.
‘It’s not that I’m on holiday, they know that I’m working and they know they can rely on my 24/7 to be there and play my part,’ she said. ‘It wouldn’t work without great great teamwork.’
Ms Dyboski, who runs a non-toxic, cruelty free, vegan bubble company called Dr Zigs, said the Covid pandemic allowed ways of working that hadn’t been seen as acceptable before.
‘It changed everybody’s mindsets, which helps. I think we gave each other a bit of slack as well.
She added that people became a bit more open minded, and the flexibility was now there if you needed to work remotely to care for someone, for your health both physical and mental or just to have a better work-life balance.
During the Covid pandemic, she said ‘so many people proved that they could go above and beyond with flexibility’
Sonya Barlow can work from anywhere, including checking emails while on safari and Kenya
And she stays in beautiful hotels kitted out with gyms and spas to make it all the sweeter
And during the Covid pandemic, she said ‘so many people proved that they could go above and beyond with flexibility’.
She said: ‘When I’m in work [at the toy factory] I’m doing details, when I’m out of work I’m doing the overviews and strategic meetings.
‘So I’ve just been out in London with my middle daughter. My eldest is in Cardiff so when I’m in the UK I will also work from there I was in London taking meetings a couple of days ago. It doesn’t matter where I am, as long as I have my laptop.’
Ms Dybonski said it was powerful to see how workers went ‘above and beyond’ with flexibility during the pandemic, ‘working their socks off’ to get things done under the circumstances.
But with some companies going back to pre-pandemic requirements of office working, she added: ‘Then to go back to something that’s a bit of a paternalistic society that tells you that you have to be at your desk, it’s difficult.
‘And people don’t want to hear that. Feeling that trust, that respect, was good for everyone.’
Consultant Sonya Barlow also takes joy in working from abroad, as she checks her emails while on safari in Kenya.
The 30-year-old diversity and inclusion consultant works for three companies – all of which allow her to work remotely from wherever she chooses.
Ms Barlow, who is also a business author and radio presenter for BBC, was also diagnosed with ADHD last year
She said she finds changing screens regularly and being in new environments can help ‘increase my mental cognitive functions’
Ms Barlow added that the freedom of being able to control her working hours a bit more has been invaluable
A big travel lover, Ms Barlow has seized this opportunity and constantly travels for work – having set up office in places including Mauritius, Estonia, Turkey and Nairobi.
And she stays in beautiful hotels kitted out with gyms and spas to make it all the sweeter.
She raved about the benefits of remote working in an interview with MailOnline, saying: ‘I’m in a better headspace, I’m focused, I’m more productive. I’m able to turn or offload my apps. I can turn my social media off. I am able to get the work done.’
Ms Barlow, who is also a business author and radio presenter for BBC, was also diagnosed with ADHD last year.
She said she finds changing screens regularly and being in new environments can help ‘increase my mental cognitive functions’, adding that the freedom of being able to control her working hours a bit more has been invaluable.
‘Because I’m neurodivergent I can give my brain a rest, which is really important,’ she said.
And the social aspect of remote working is something that attracts her to that way of life.
She said: ‘The great thing about working abroad, not just in the UK, is that the sunshine lasts a little bit longer and so you are not worried about “Oh I need to go the gym, or go for a walk and get my Vitamin D” in the morning.
‘I can actually get the work done and then in the evening I can go and enjoy myself and be in a better headspace.’
But Ms Barlow did point out that it’s not all great, as remote working can pose challenges.
‘The negatives of not being in an office environment is that you don’t get to collaborate with your team in the same way,’ she said.
‘There’s a lack of networking when you’re not in the office. You don’t really know what’s happening day to day so you need to be constantly informed.’
Another negative she said was that you are constantly working with technology, so finding ways of offsetting that is key, and if your laptop or wifi crashes, you’re in trouble.
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