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Working While On Vacation Has Become Common, Mostly Thanks To Smartphones

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NEW YORK (CBSMiami) – Smartphones have made our lives easier in many ways.

But they've also make it increasingly hard to unplug, even on vacation.

High school teacher Jennifer Smith and her family came to New York City on vacation.

"I am [checking emails] all the time, in fact I've been texting and emailing with my students the whole time I've been here," Smith admitted.

A new survey from the job placement agency Accountemps shows 56 percent of workers say they check in with the office during vacation.

That's up from 54 percent in 2017 and just 41 percent in 2016.

Accountemps Regional Vice President Richard Deosingh had an interesting answer when asked who is the most likely to check in on vacation.

"Millenials without question, and one of the main reasons for that is the use of their smartphones," he said.

Deosing says many people feel pressure to always be in contact with work.

"I have my email on my phone so I check it every couple of hours just to see if there are important messages I should answer," said Sanjin Pekusic, who was vacationing from Norway.

Experts say it's important to come up with a plan before you leave for vacation.

"Make sure you have a colleague or colleagues available to cover for you while you're out and make sure you arm them with enough information as possible so they can make decisions on your behalf," Deosingh said.

That can help you leave the office behind.

The study found baby boomers were the most likely to unplug and actually enjoy their vacation from work.

The survey also employees plan to only take 9 vacation days this summer, down from 10 last year.

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