More holidays for overworked IT staff

The work of IT support staff is never done, especially while on holiday it would seem, according to a survey by Sunrise Software.

The provider of IT Service Management solutions questioned 121 IT support staff across the UK, and found that 47 per cent of respondents were expected to answer work-related calls while on holiday.

A further 23 per cent of respondents said they do not turn off their BlackBerry or mobile phones during holidays.

Sunrise are now calling on employers to implement 'R.E.A.L' (rewarded with extra annual leave) holidays for IT staff, which will amount to one week of every year on top of their standard holiday leave.

Executive chairman at Sunrise Tom Weston said that it was essential for IT support staff to be treated fairly.

"We believe that the IT service desk is getting a raw deal when it comes to holiday allocation," he said.

"It's imperative that employees can switch off and completely relax on annual leave - and remaining at the beck and call of senior executives doesn't constitute relaxation," he added. "IT service desks should be organised enough to continue operating effectively when key members of staff are on holiday. That's why we're calling on employers to recognise there is a problem and award 'R.E.A.L.' in recognition of this."