More than two-thirds of CFOs say they can’t resist checking in with the office during vacation

CFOs can’t help but check in while on vacation

OUT OF THE OFFICE?: More than two-thirds of chief financial officers can’t resist checking in with the office at least once or twice a week during their vacation, according to a new survey. That’s down from about three-quarters who couldn’t entirely disconnect five years ago.

About 1,400 CFOs from a random sample of U.S. companies with 20 or more employees participated in the telephone survey. It was conducted by research firm International Communications Research on behalf of Robert Half Management Resources, a unit of staffing company Robert Half International Inc.

“On the heels of this recent recession, managers recognize that while there is always more work that can be done, taking the time to relax and re-energize ultimately makes them more productive,” said Paul McDonald, executive director of Robert Half Management Resources. “Even a brief respite can help executives recharge and refocus once they are back at work.”

Robert Half gives these tips for managers to enjoy their vacation without worrying about decisions made in their absence:

— Schedule ahead. Aim to leave the office during a light period or when key staff members aren’t on vacation so that those in the office won’t be stretched too thin.

— A few weeks in advance, designate a senior person you trust to manage day-to-day responsibilities while you’re away.

— Notify contacts and clients. On your out-of-office e-mail response and voice mail, include the name of your colleague handling your responsibilities.

— Divide assignments. Unless the project requires the focus of your most senior employee, you may want to distribute tasks to multiple senior staff members to ensure that work gets completed. Consider bringing in project professionals to cover larger ventures.

— If you must check in, try to establish “office hours” prior to your departure. Provide your staff with specific dates and times you will be checking messages so that you don’t feel the need to have your mobile device constantly in hand.

TOO MUCH POWER: It’s not just big companies and lobbyists that have too much power over politicians. It’s also the news media and celebrities, say those who responded to a recent telephone survey.

Two-thirds of Americans who responded to the poll said news organizations have too much power in Washington. That’s still much lower than the consensus in 1994, when 79 percent said the media had too much power.

The random telephone survey of 1,010 adults by Harris Interactive found that 93 percent felt small businesses have too little influence.

More than 60 percent of those polled said entertainment and sports celebrities have too much power, followed by trial lawyers, trade associations, labor unions and TV and radio talk shows.

Two-thirds said nonprofit organizations have too little power and influence, and more than half said the same about opinion polls, churches and religious groups and racial minorities.