Life's a beach (but only if you book time off)

I'm not sure which is more shocking: the news that one exec in four would rather sweat it out at his or her desk than go on holiday; or, that those who do make a getaway are likely to find room in their bags for Coldplay, Madonna and the Beach Boys. (I know that it's rather fashionable to slate Coldplay these days but that doesn't mean it's wrong.) 

But back to the rather tired business of too many workers failing to claim their full holiday entitlement. A rather unimaginative 34 per cent of those hard at it blame an excessive workload for their failure to rest up and tan according to a survey by the Chartered Management Institute. While you lot are clearly beyond help, I suggest that you try delegation instead. Then in addition to racking up air miles, you can boast about mastering a new skill at your next leadership appraisal.

Feeling more skint than usual is apparently stopping one in three from pulling out their beach towel from the back of the airing cupboard. Yes the economy is reeling but, go on, relax, have a glass of wine or three and book a cheap flight. I dare you. You can always assuage any feelings of guilt by off-setting your carbon emissions more than once.   

My response to those of you who do go holiday and then use the time for a little bit of background reading, regularly check work emails, brush up on their skills and dial into voice messages would embarrass my mother so I'll keep quiet. But do take a peek Carly's fine comment: No one dies wishing he'd spent more time in the office.

Inspirational image showing just how refreshing a holiday can be is courtesy of the blog She Likes Her Food