Are we really taking holidays anymore?
Every summer, millions of us pack our bags hoping for rest, reset and perspective. Yet more and more people are returning from annual leave feeling exactly the same. Tired, foggy and still plugged in. The problem isn’t the holiday – it’s that we’re not actually switching off.
Since most of us put our work communications on our personal phones, or started taking our work phones on holiday with us, the real challenge isn’t booking time away, it’s mentally leaving work behind once we get there.
The holiday paradox: more flexibility, less rest
Digital technology has given us extraordinary freedom. We can work from anywhere, collaborate asynchronously and keep things moving without being in the office.
But the downside is clear:
67% of UK employees checked work messages on annual leave (CIPD, 2024)
44% felt pressure to stay reachable (Workplace Wellbeing Index, 2025)
Constant connectivity reduces the restorative impact of annual leave by up to 40% (Deloitte, 2025)
This isn’t dramatic burnout but the slow erosion of rest and for many its chipping away at focus, clarity, patience and creativity.
Most people I am working with today are seeing AI becoming ingrained into their working time. And, yes its making lots of things easier and helping with the low value tasks that are part of everyone’s job. But its also creating a subtle pressure. AI has made switching off even harder. Human‑centred AI should protect rest, not erode it. Co-pilot and Chatgpt are now drafting, sorting, nudging and keeping work flowing while we’re away. And the new client portals that lots of law firms and other professional services organisation are using makes staying connected to clients even easier.
“It’ll only take a second.” “I’ll just approve this quickly.” “AI has already drafted the reply, may as well send it.”
Where HARMONY fits in
HARMONY gives us a simple lens for understanding why holidays matter and why they’re getting harder.
H — Honour Rest Holidays are meant to be the deepest reset we get. They can’t do their job if we’re checking in and not turning off from ours.
A — Attention Management Even one “quick check” pulls the brain out of recovery mode and helps to build the distraction muscle so many of us are struggling with.
R — Relationships Time away is often the only uninterrupted space families get. Digital intrusion steals that.
M — Mindful Use Most holiday checking isn’t intentional but habit.
O — Open Communication Teams not talking about holiday boundaries creates pressure and confusion. Starting the conversation is key
N — Nurture Critical Thinking Yes, most of us will still have work on our minds a bit when we are on leave, but not actively stepping away from work denies our systems the rest they need to be well and come back to work restored and rested. As we all try and work out how to make sure AI is playing a human-centred role at work to protect our own expertise and capability, having a proper break feels more important than ever.
Y — Your Behaviour Its simple - Leaders who switch off give everyone else permission to do the same.
So how do we actually switch off?
Here are realistic, behaviour‑friendly steps that work in the real world and will help create enough space for your nervous system to reset.
Individual
If they’re on your personal phone, remove work apps from your home screen or your device all together
Leave your work phone at work
Turn off notifications entirely
Use an AI‑assisted handover so you feel confident things are covered
Practise the pause — notice the urge to check before acting on it
Team‑level
Agree a simple coverage plan who handles what, what can wait, what counts as urgent.
Use AI intentionally let it summarise updates or triage inboxes without expecting people to monitor anything.
Delay‑send everything no emails landing while someone is on a beach.
Model the behaviour leaders switching off sets the tone.
A simple, sunny invitation
This summer is a chance to rethink what a real break looks like. To design work - and AI use - in ways that protect rest, attention and human capability. To help people return not just “caught up”, but genuinely restored, clear‑headed and ready to think deeply again. Because holidays still matter.
But only if we actually take them.