Small business owners should encourage staff to leave the laptop at home when they go on holiday if they want to ensure they return refreshed and ready to go, according to employment law firm Peninsula.

The organisation's research found that 85% of senior managers and executives surveyed admitted to checking their work emails while on holiday and 79% of these said they checked their email every day.

On average, managers spent six hours and 40 minutes answering work-related emails while on holiday, with 73% admitting they made sure they would have access to the internet when booking the trip.

"Employers should not expect workers to be in, or make contact when they are on holiday," said Peter Done, managing director of Peninsula.

"Having a meeting with the employee before they go away and delegating work where possible will make both the employer and employee feel a lot calmer. Any work that cannot be delegated should be planned into the employer's diary ready for their return."

"Employers should encourage their managers to enjoy their holidays, not insisting they make contact with the office. They should not expect employees to contact the office at all and need to make provisions for the absence of the employee."

Other practical steps business owners can encourage staff to take before departing are to ensure contact details of a colleague who can help are left with clients, for example on an out-of-office email reply, and giving out a return date one day after they are back in the office, to allow them a day to catch up on emails and ease the transition back into work.

"Employees are becoming slaves to modern technology and because email has made it easier than ever to keep in constant contact with the office, they are finding it hard to get a true break from work," added Done.

"It is common knowledge that people's work life is busier than ever and this survey highlights the sizeable role that work plays in our lives. However, holiday entitlements are there for a reason and employees should be using this time to relax and re-charge themselves."