One in two managers takes a ‘disconnected’ holiday – ten times more than in 2014

Just a decade ago, it would have been unimaginable for a manager to say that they would spend a summer completely offline or, at most, spend just half an hour or an hour a day on the phone or at a computer for work. In 2014, just 4.9 per cent said this; in 2019, the figure was 7.9 per cent. Last year, the percentage rose to 12.7 per cent – three times the 2014 figure. The real leap, however, came this summer, when over half – 53 per cent – of managers chose to remain offline or to be available only for genuine emergencies: more than four times as many as last year, and over ten times as many as in 2014. Looking at the details, the least available are precisely the up-and-coming managers – that is, those aged between 46 and 50: in this case, the percentage of those who are not available rises by 10 percentage points to 63 per cent, according to a survey by AstraRicerche for Manageritalia (the federation of managers, middle managers and executives in the service sector), which polled a thousand Italian managers.

Even the minds of the ultimate workaholics – who are always connected, who haven’t even had time to finish one call before they’ve already joined another, who know no limits on working hours but only on performance, who cut their weekends short so they’re ready for Monday, and who live with their suitcases always packed – well, even their minds need a rest, stepping away from the costs, investments and projects that punctuate their intense daily lives to make time for themselves, their family, friends, reading and relaxation. What’s changing isn’t so much the idea of taking holidays – that’s always been there for managers – but the way they’re taken. The trends that were identified back in 2025 now seem to have become the norm. In the summer, people head out on a boat or set off on a hike to switch off; gone are the days when time is split between partners, children and friends on the one hand, and a string of calls and documents to finalise or open as soon as you get a signal on the other.

86.8% of managers have already taken or will take a holiday between mid-June and September. The favourite destination will be Italia, which is the first choice for 82.8 per cent of managers. This is partly due to the international situation, characterised by numerous tensions caused by wars: the first incident in recent months was the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which had raised the prospect of flight cancellations, partly due to the impact of high fuel prices. Other international destinations, from Europe to the United States and as far afield as Africa, are falling out of favour. This choice reflects a desire to keep costs down without compromising on the quality of the holiday, but also a greater sense of caution in the face of an international landscape marked by geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainties. According to Marco Ballaré, president of Manageritalia, ‘managers have realised that wellbeing is not at odds with results, but is in fact a prerequisite for them. Knowing how to switch off, recharge your batteries and devote time to personal relationships means returning to work with greater clarity, motivation and decision-making ability. Work-life balance is a genuine managerial skill necessary to ensure that all staff members also enjoy an adequate work-life balance.”

The very meaning of a holiday is also changing. For almost all those interviewed, a holiday means, above all, spending time with their partner and family. Three-quarters (76.6%) say friends. For 88%, however, it is an opportunity to catch up on interests and activities that inevitably take a back seat during the working year. Consequently, holidays are increasingly less likely to be seen as a time for professional planning or preparing to return to work. Disconnecting, however, does not mean completely abandoning digital devices. The use of smartphones for work-related purposes is becoming less and less common amongst managers whilst on holiday: two in five spend between 30 minutes and an hour on them every day, whilst 30.1 per cent spend more than an hour a day on them and, of these, 7.5 per cent use them for over two hours a day. A smaller proportion manage to genuinely limit their use: 29.7 per cent keep it to under half an hour a day and only 2 per cent say they do not use their smartphone for work at all. The desire to switch off is increasingly widespread, but for many, the connection to work – even whilst on holiday – remains difficult to sever completely.

When faced with an explicit trade-off between pay and a complete break from work, Italian managers do not show much willingness: only 20.8 per cent (5.1 per cent ‘definitely yes’ and 15.7 per cent ‘probably yes”) would give up part of their salary in exchange for the guarantee of a complete break whilst on holiday, whilst almost four in five (79.2 per cent) are unwilling to do so, with a proportion of outright refusal (“definitely no”) accounting for 31.8 per cent on its own. Women are slightly more open to the trade-off: 22.8 per cent compared with 20.1 per cent of men. In terms of age, the 51–55 age group stands out, with 25.4 per cent willing to do so, well above the 46–50 age group (16.0 per cent).