According to research commissioned by car hire booking company, Auto Europe, and conducted by Atomik Research, more than half (57 percent) of British workers feel depressed, deflated or demotivated when they return to work. The survey, which sampled over 1000 people, showed that 34 percent turn to spending to cope, one in 10 admit to drinking more, and over a fifth (21 percent) book another holiday without asking their boss first for time off.
A holiday can be just what you need to relax and unwind, but returning to work can leave many British workers feeling a little flat and unmotivated, according to the survey results. After all the holiday hype has come to end, over half of the respondents polled felt down in some way when they get back to work, while just 31 percent felt happy and refreshed. Returning to the office after spending time in the sunshine makes a quarter (25 percent) feel deflated, while 21 percent experience melancholy before they have even booted up their computer.
More than one in ten (15 percent) are hit with so much stress that it feels like they never went on holiday in the first place, while 12 percent become anxious about getting back to the daily grind.
The survey also revealed that more than half (55 percent) of workers employ many different coping methods to help them get over feeling glum and take their mind off being back to work. A third (34 percent) treat themselves to extravagant gifts or shop online to boost their mood, while more than a fifth (21 percent) immediately plan or book another break without running it past their boss to make sure it’s OK to have the time off, maybe hinting at a touch of desperation to get away from the office again! 13 percent admit to drinking more alcohol than they usually would to get over post-holiday blues, or turn to eating sweet treats (12 percent) to help them feel better.
Rui Alves, head of digital marketing at Auto Europe, explains: “Holidays are a vital way to recharge the batteries and reflect on your life as well as your career.
“But it’s only natural that, as employees return to work, many will suffer from post-holiday blues. However, if you’d rather be anywhere but back at work after a holiday, it might be the wake-up call you need to find a new role.”
Other findings from the research revealed that being away can cause British workers to feel alienated from work and colleagues – cited by nine percent – while a further nine percent feel that a holiday has left them with too much to cope with on their return.