More and more Americans work on their vacations according to a study performed for a office furniture and supply company. The study said that 43% of workers performed some job related tasks on their last vacation. This was up from a similar study done in 1995 that showed only 23% of workers giving up their respite for company loyalty. The survey of 640 randomly selected full- or part-time workers was conducted last month by telephone. It was conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation.

The biggest contributor to the rise has been, not surprisingly, technology. People are taking their work with them to Cancun because they can. Almost hal of the polls particpants cited the lap top computer as the single biggest factor making it possible for them to work while resting. The 1995 study mentioned the beeper and cell phone as the most used vacation working tool, ah how innocent they seem now.

Technological advances might make it possible for workers to put in those sun soaked hours but it doesn’t explain why they do it. Most respondants told the pollsters that they worked on their vacations out of dedication to their job or due to pressing deadlines. A smaller precentage said they simply couldn’t relax without having gotten some work done.

Psychiatrist and author, Ed Hallowell, was quoted on Wired.com as saying people work on their vacations for reason both good and bad. He said, “The good way would be someone who says, ‘Look, I really want to get away with my kids, but I do have work to do… I’m going to combine work and vacation’,”

However, he went on to explain that many people simply can’t stop working or think of another way to amuse themselves. A situation that can lead to burn out and personality disorders. Incidently, the study showed that 39% of people don’t take all their alloted vacation tiome each year in any case.

One aspect that occured to me is, how many of these vacation toilers are doing so because they fear for their job or are under other pressures that little to do with their own work ethic to put in the hours. It’s a tough time for many American workers and I can’t help but think that might figure as much into the working vacation as work-aholicism, company loyalty, and the Blackberry.