“Leavism” is the new “presenteeism” as increasing numbers of employees take work on holiday to avoid being seen as lazy or shirkers by their bosses, say psychologists. The phenomenon has been identified by researchers at Manchester Business School which estimates up to half of workers have claimed they are on leave when they are actually using it to catch up on unfinished work. It is also being used by workers who would rather use up allocated holiday time than claim sick leave and risk being seen as an irregular worker who might become a target for redundancy. Cary Cooper, Professor of Organisation Psychology and Health at Manchester University’s business school, said: “We are in an era where people are much more afraid of losing their jobs than in the past. “Companies have been operating in a low-growth environment for the past decade, which has meant more focus on profitability – including labour costs. “People want to be perceived as being on top of their work and job. The way to do that is to cover all the bases and use their leave for work or sickness.” Professor Cooper said he and his team first identified the phenomenon when studying police work patterns following a 22,000 cut in officer numbers, with research published by Oxford University in the journal Occupational Health. However, it became evident it was commonplace across the public and private sector. Research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found 51 per cent of employees were working outside contracted hours. More than a third (36 per cent) also said they were taking time off when they were in fact unwell, according to the study of staff in more than 1,000 companies in the private and public sector. Some 70 per cent of those who had witnessed presenteeism said they had also observed leavism. Professor Cooper said the trend had been fuelled by technology which provided ready and easy access to work emails and documents through smart phones and ipads. “When I give talks to senior executives, I ask them how many do work while they are on holiday. It is the overwhelming majority, between 80 and 90 per cent who put their hands up,” he added. He warned there was a danger of creating a tech-enabled 24/7 working culture from which it would be increasingly difficult to switch off. “Work-life balance is becoming a thing of the past,” said Professor Cooper, warning that it would lead to increased stress and mental ill-health.