Two thirds of all Swiss people also work during their vacations

The situation is actually clearly regulated by law: "In the employment relationship, the employer must respect and protect the employee's personality and take due account of his or her health [...]", as has been stated in Article 328 of the Swiss Code of Obligations since 1972. However, a recent survey suggests that many employees in Switzerland are not completely detached from their day-to-day work during their vacation. In addition, current economic developments seem to be putting more and more people under pressure to keep an eye on their company cell phone during their time off, even on their own initiative. The survey was conducted by the market research institute Appinio on behalf of the job portal operator Indeed between July 18 and 23, 2025 among 500 working people in Switzerland.

More than half work during the vacations

65% of employees surveyed in Switzerland state that they work during their vacations. Of these, 23.6 percent do so regularly and 41.4 percent do so occasionally. By contrast, only 16 percent do not work at all during their paid time off.

The reasons for the high proportion of working Swiss are mainly due to their employers: almost one in two respondents (42.1%) have already been contacted about work-related issues while on vacation. In addition to the lack of consideration, 13.3 percent are even explicitly expected by their superiors to be ready to work during their vacations. The initiative to remain available for work at all times also comes in part from the employees themselves. 28.1 percent keep track of events themselves so as not to miss anything. Only 18.1 percent state that they also like to work during their vacations.

Economic situation increases pressure on employees

In view of the Swiss economic downturn and the risk of being replaced by AI, 41.8% of respondents feel pressure to spend time at work during their vacations. In view of the current situation, 25.5 percent of these respondents are following what is happening at work more closely than before without taking any action. At the same time, 16.2 percent state that they are much more available today. Ten percent of respondents feel stress in the opposite direction: the current situation makes it all the more important for them to switch off.

Preparing for and following up vacations becomes a burden

Regardless of whether they work during the vacations or not, preparing for the vacations is also an additional burden for many: 75.2% of respondents stated that they had worked extra hours before their last vacation to prepare for their absence. For 17 percent, this even took more than five hours. And as soon as the time off is over, employees are often faced with even more stress: 53.8 percent had no replacement during their absence or felt that this was inadequate. This stress before and after the vacations may have contributed to the fact that more than half (54.4 percent) of those surveyed did not really feel refreshed after their last time off.

Questionable work culture?

"The fact that the majority of Swiss people work even when they are on vacation is a clear sign that we need to talk about work culture. Real recovery is not a luxury, but a necessity for long-term performance. Instead of shifting the responsibility onto employees alone, companies should proactively provide relief: with clear handover protocols and deputizations worthy of the name. A corporate culture that respects the absence of individual team members is a win-win situation for everyone involved. At the same time, employees can also set the course for a relaxing vacation. Instead of just passively relaxing, it helps to actively switch off: Activities such as a hike with friends or a bike ride with the family are proven to recharge the battery better than spending the day on the smartphone," comments Dr. Stefanie Bickert, labour market expert at Indeed, on the results.

Source: Indeed