Partner Article

Business owners â??too busy' to take holiday

More than a fifth of small business owners say they are too busy to take time off, a new survey has found.

And almost six in ten say they take less than ten days a year, according to the research, by Lloyds TSB Business Insurance.

Less than 15% said they take more than five days, while just 22% take six to 10 says - and just one in five takes 20 or more days a year.

Of those who do manage to tear themselves away from work, more than 60% take a mobile phone with them, while almost 20% take a laptop so they can check their work emails, more than one in 10 take part in conference calls, and almost 20% cut their holiday short to deal with a work issue.

Anne Marie Koukourava, partnership director at the organisation, said: “With technology as advanced as it is today, it becomes easier for small business owners to use items like PDAs and laptops, as well as utilising video conference technology to allow them to link up with work while away.

“It’s ironic that the very benefits associated with being your own boss, such as choosing your own hours and flexibility, are the very things that seem to be lacking for many of Britain’s small business owners with so many of them unable to take a single day’s holiday.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .