Taiwanese Still Working While Traveling: Major Survey on Labor Holiday Exploitation in 2017

By MOOK Scenic Spots Family, compiled and reported
 
Taiwanese people face high work pressure, and many choose travel as a way to relieve stress, but quite a few also find themselves tied to work while on vacation. A well-known booking website conducted a survey of approximately 15,000 respondents in about 30 countries worldwide called the "2017 Global Holiday Deprivation Report." The survey revealed that Taiwan had the lowest proportion of work-deprived holidays among Asian countries, yet it ranked highest globally in terms of people having to handle work matters while traveling.

The "2017 Global Holiday Deprivation Report" showed that over 90% of Taiwanese employees follow a fixed leave system. Since discretionary leave is not common in Taiwan, mainly because many companies adopt a responsibility-based system, employees under work pressure may actually take fewer annual leave days than under a normal system. Compared to other Asian countries such as Japan and South Korea, the Taiwanese have a slightly higher leave-taking rate, and nearly 60% said they do not feel guilty about taking paid leave, as it is their right.

Taiwanese people love to travel, but they are often held back by work. According to a survey by a well-known hotel booking website, although 44% of Taiwanese believe that work deprives them of holidays—this is the lowest rate in Asia—in comparison with South Korea, which ranks first in holiday deprivation with 81% of respondents, the proportion of Taiwanese whose holidays are compromised is relatively low. However, nearly 60% of Taiwanese have canceled travel plans due to work, and even when they do manage to travel, they often can’t fully disconnect from work—nearly 50% of Taiwanese say they still have to answer work calls or check emails while on vacation, the highest rate globally!

Traveling with family and friends is a great way to enrich life, but if work negatively impacts your trip, it won’t allow for true relaxation and may even affect your work afterward.Therefore, regardless of how busy your current job is, you should make use of your remaining annual leave to find a balance between work and life. Traveling allows you to discover new things and spend more time with family and friends, making it a great way to recharge.