Most of us know the feeling all too well. One minute you’re living your best life in a sun-kissed paradise, the next, you’re staring September in the face.
Making the transition from holiday to office can be difficult, and back to work dread is a common problem.
According to a study by recruitment firm Robert Walters, nearly half of Belgian professionals (47%) report feeling stressed or anxious about returning to work after the summer holidays, while 15% say they are “very anxious” about the prospect of a return to the office.
Elsewhere in Europe, the stress levels are even higher. In France, 64% of respondents said they felt nervous after their holidays. In the UK, 78% feel anxious and stressed when returning from holiday. More than half regularly check work emails during their leave.
'Constant connectivity'
Lots of people returning from holidays feel a kind of “social jetlag”. We feel out of step going back to our normal schedule after living unstructured lives for a few weeks during the summer.
The most cited stress factor among Belgian workers upon returning from vacation is an overflowing inbox (45%). This is followed by the fear of missing important information (23%), problems with transferring files or a backlog of work (18%) and the fear of being overwhelmed (15%).
“Thanks to modern tools, we are now accessible anywhere and anytime, which offers flexibility and freedom. But that constant connectivity also means that many professionals feel pressured to regularly check their work even during their holidays,” says Özelem Simsek, Managing Director at Robert Walters.
Simsek recommends “creating a work culture in which disconnecting is truly encouraged”. She says companies should consider ensuring employees write clear handovers before they leave and should set “realistic expectations about availability”.
She also suggests companies “respect out of office messages” and engage in an “open dialogue about leave without guilt”.
