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Executives are refusing to go on holiday as they are afraid they will not have a job to come back to, research has found.

A survey from the Chartered Management Institute has found one in four executives will not use their full holiday entitlement this year, preferring to 'carry days over' to 2009.

Asked why they are unable to take their full holiday entitlement, 34 per cent cited extensive workloads, while 31 per cent also claimed they have to use holiday time to care for dependents.

The finding comes against a backdrop of redundancy rates doubling, to three per cent, over the past year and 23 per cent of employers admitting their staff fear restructuring and job insecurity.

Even if they do go on holiday, significant proportions continue to work.

The survey reveals that 39 per cent regularly check work emails and 29 per cent dial-in to pick up voicemail messages. In addition, one in five also argue that it is a good time to 'catch up on background reading'.

Jo Causon, director of marketing and corporate affairs at the Chartered Management Institute, said: "There is clearly a fear that 'out of sight means out of mind' but without a proper break individual performance can suffer and employers will notice mistakes more than they will absence through holiday.

"Individuals need to recognise this and use holiday time to recharge their batteries."

But is seems the same people want to see their colleagues go away. When asked about the impact of their line manager going on holiday, 57 per cent see it as a positive opportunity to 'take on more responsibility' and 48 per cent enjoy the chance to 'work more closely with senior managers'.