Corporate Travelers Are Having a Hard Time Leaving Briefcases Behind : Vacations: A new survey of top business managers shows that while they consider leisure travel essential to counter burnout, a complete escape is still rare.

The executive suite has its perks, but most top managers rarely escape office problems completely--even on vacation--a detailed survey has indicated. And some corporate achievers regularly tote along a briefcase full of paperwork.

But even the workaholics acknowledge that vacation time is essential to the battle against executive burnout. And yet executives expect more than just fun when they leave the office behind: They hope to recharge their creative batteries, rekindle the romance in personal relationships, shape up physically and generally brighten their outlook on life.

Indeed, many executives consider vacations so crucial to their psychological and physical well-being, they told researchers, that they begin planning their next getaway five months or more in advance. And apparently they realize that what’s good for them is good for their employees, and urge their subordinates to make use of all available vacation time.

A recent survey commissioned by Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, “Time Off: The Psychology of Vacations,” queried 500 male and female executives at length about their vacation habits. Participants were interviewed by phone for about half an hour each. All those selected had earned a powerful title at or near the top of the company hierarchy: president, chief executive officer, chief operating officer, executive vice president, senior vice president, vice president or director.

Although a bit misleading in a few respects, the survey provides intriguing insights into today’s highly complex relationship between work and play.

Slightly more than half the executives interviewed report that they are working harder now than they did five years ago. And 91% face stress on the job, whether a little or a lot, from “increased competition,” “pressure to perform” and “recession-induced cutbacks.” Because of the growing demands in their professional lives, they look forward to unwinding on vacation. Most take shorter vacations--an average of four a year--because responsibilities make long breaks unfeasible.

Even when they schedule a getaway, most executives apparently are unable to leave work completely behind, with 70% saying they provide the office with phone numbers where they can be reached. And those at the very top--the owners, presidents and chief operating officers--are likely to check in frequently throughout their holiday. However, a substantial minority of mostly lower-echelon managers (46%) admit to feeling resentful if they are ordered to call in regularly.

Nevertheless, one of the potential drawbacks of being in charge is that a surprise emergency can force you to cancel your holiday on the spot. It happened to President Bush, the nation’s chief executive, and his top aides when they were confronted by the attempted coup to oust Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev.

About half of the survey participants (47%) admit that they carry some work on vacation with them, although only 5% confess to packing a lot of work. In most cases, however, the tasks they assign themselves are modest, such as catching up on professional reading. But some don’t leave town without dictating machines, recorders or computers.

Virtually all of the executives (92%) agree that regular getaways are essential to preventing burnout. “Three out of four feel vacations improve their personal job performance,” says the report, “68% say time off improves creativity, and nearly half (48%) say job performance improves even in anticipation of vacation.”

Curiously, top executives seem to divert the energies that have made them a professional success into realizing a rewarding vacation. “They play more, they eat, drink, make merry (and make love),” says the survey. “They leave their worries at home or at the office. They are happy.”

Most of those surveyed report that they loosen up in many ways, becoming “friendlier” (91%), “more outgoing” (80%), “more athletic” (72%) and “free-spending” (68%), and 60% say their “sex life improves dramatically when they are on vacation.”

If you see yourself in any of the survey’s findings, consider the following vacation opportunities:

--For the workaholic: If you need to keep in regular contact with the office, upscale hotels and resorts are prime choices. Certainly you will have a phone in your room, and maybe two, which is not always true at small inns or national park lodges. Most city hotels and many resorts provide secretarial service and an array of office machines. Tennis, golf, a swimming pool, fitness center and other recreational activities are handy when you are ready for a break.

--To sever all contact with the office: Any number of outdoor adventures can put you miles from the nearest phone: a trail ride in a national wilderness area, an extended hike with the Sierra Club, a week on a white-water rafting trip through the Grand Canyon, a fly-in fishing cabin in the Alaskan or Canadian outback, or a trek in the Himalayas. If something goes wrong at the office, somebody else will have to handle the problem because you are unreachable.

--For the in-betweens: You want to maintain some contact with the office, and yet you don’t want to be plagued by frequent calls. Escape to a remote Caribbean island inn, a villa in the south of France or a cruise--all far enough away to give the office second thoughts about phoning.

--For fitness: Again, resorts with multiple recreational facilities seem the ideal choice. If you have overindulged on expense-account meals, a health spa could trim pounds and tighten loose flesh. For a vigorous workout, consider a week at a tennis camp, private ski lessons, windsurfing, a guided ascent of a mountain peak, a group tour to participate in an international marathon event or a rugged self-realization course with Outward Bound.

--For tourists: One of the most stressful vacations is independent sightseeing abroad. You almost certainly will be confronted with hassles involving airlines, hotels, taxis, car rental firms and governmental officialdom. The museums you want to visit will be locked for unexplained reasons, and in many countries you are apt to fall sick for a few days. All of this, of course, is of minor concern to dedicated sightseers who seem to thrive on the challenges.

--Just for fun: Resorts and cruises are best because of the variety of day and evening activities in a convivial setting. The alternative is a long weekend in a good hotel in an exciting city. Museums, shopping, theater, concerts, dining, movies and sightseeing can be matched to your interests.

--For quiet rejuvenation: Consider a deluxe mountain lodge, such as Jenny Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National Park, Wyo., Tall Timber outside Durango, Colo., or the Ventana Inn, the famous sea-view retreat on the Big Sur coast. You will be pampered and, if you choose, left alone amid splendid scenery to read whatever trade journals you have brought along.