A new “Out of Office” advertising campaign from British Airways Holidays highlights the need for people to properly switch off when on vacation. Jenny Southan reports

Recent surveys commissioned by British Airways Holidays have revealed that not only do 52 per cent of working Brits check their work emails whilst on vacation (Globetrender is surpised it’s not higher) but half of UK working adults do not take their full annual leave allocation.

The company accepts that due to the current cost-of-living crisis, many people will be finding it harder to justify a holiday in 2023. However, almost 79 per cent of people surveyed agreed that taking a break is good for their mental health.

With this in mind, British Airways Holidays cites a 40-year study by the European Society of Cardiology, which revealed that taking a vacation could help people live longer, asks people to “Take their holidays seriously”.

The idea for the new British Airways Holidays outdoor advertising campaign, which was developed by Uncommon Creative Studio, is centred around the “Out of Office” email.

But instead of the usual polite sign-off messages that can typically note “if urgent please contact me via mobile” – these OOO emails are “much more punchy in protecting our headspace from the office when we’re on our holidays”, says a spokesperson.

They add: “Behind the humour is an important message – that holidays are more than a frivolous luxury, and we should all prioritise time away for our wellbeing.”

British Airways Holidays Out of Office" ad British Airways Holidays Out of Office" ad British Airways Holidays Out of Office" ad British Airways Holidays Out of Office" adGlobetrender predicts that 2023 will herald the start of a return to properly delineating time spent working and on holiday. Bleisure and workations have become the default way of travelling but for families, particularly, carving out time to be together and actually enjoying a break is precious. In fact, not switching off when on holiday could be detrimental to people’s health.