More than half of you reading this post right now will check your work e-mail on Thanksgiving Day, possibly in between helpings of turkey or slices of pumpkin pie. Almost as many of you will feel annoyed when you receive e-mail from your coworkers on that day, even though those people are pretty much the same as you.

A new survey conducted on 2,179 adults by Harris Interactive (on behalf of social media startup Xobni) says that many of us—42 percent, to be exact—feel that we have to stay up-to-date on work over the holidays in order to ease our own workloads. Fifty-nine percent will check their e-mail at least once on their holidays off, while 28 percent will check multiple times. If you're a man, you're more likely to check than your female counterparts, and the same goes if you live in the southern part of the US versus the north.

A full 10 percent of those surveyed admitted that they checked their e-mail during "inappropriate" times, such as when they were with friends or family, or even during holiday meals. However, there's another small group (5 percent of those surveyed) who said they used e-mail as a way to avoid awkward family commitments or situations—we can certainly relate to that.

In fact, 15 percent reported feeling thankful or relieved when receiving e-mail from colleagues because it provided them a distraction from the drama of family life. (Forty-one percent said they felt annoyed, frustrated, or resentful. Why are you checking, then, if you're going to feel that way?)

If you find yourself feeling sorry for the people we're describing, you're apparently one of the 10 percent who told Harris that they pity those who feel compelled to send work e-mails during their time off. Is it possible to simultaneously feel sorry for those who are chained to work while also sneaking off to check your e-mail to avoid your Uncle Vinnie's stories?

You guys already know me—I'll be the one checking my phone under the table on Thursday—but what about you?