Post-holiday blues
Source: Link Hoang on Unsplash
Summer holidays cause half of workers to consider quitting
Nearly half of all workers consider quitting their jobs immediately after their summer holiday, says a poll.A total of 46 per cent of those returning to work get such post-holiday blues they think of finding a new post.
But the survey for home rentals site DirectHoliday-Bookings.co.uk found once they had settled back, 87 per cent said their break left them feeling refreshed.
The website boss Andrew Gibson said: "Holidays are a vital to recharge the batteries and reflect on your life."
The findings of the survey were backed by recruitment experts. One said: "We receive more CVs in September than any other month."
How do you feel to be back at work? What was the first day back like? What did you do?
Here is an imaginary talk between an employee and his boss after the summer holidays:
Office Worker: Good morning, Rachel. Do you have a moment to talk?
Boss: Morning, Alex. Sure, come in. What's on your mind?
Office Worker: Thanks. This isn't easy for me to say, but I’ve decided to hand in my notice. I'll be leaving in a month.
Boss: Oh, that’s quite unexpected. May I ask what brought you to this decision?
Office Worker: After coming back from the summer holidays, I realised I needed a change. The time off gave me some perspective, and I’ve decided it’s the right moment to explore new opportunities.
Boss: I see. While I’m sorry to hear that, I understand. You've been a valuable member of the team, and you’ll be missed. Have you thought about what you’d like to do next?
Office Worker: I have a few ideas in mind, but I’m still exploring my options. The break really helped me see that I need to challenge myself in new ways.
Boss: That makes sense. Well, we have about a month. How can we make this transition as smooth as possible?
Office Worker: I want to ensure everything is in order before I leave. I can help train someone to take over my responsibilities and document all my current projects.
Boss: That’s very considerate of you, Alex. I’ll start looking for your replacement right away. Your approach will certainly help with the transition. Is there anything specific you need from us during this period?
Office Worker: I think just having clear communication will be key. I’ll make a list of my current projects and outline the steps needed to complete them. I’ll also be available to answer any questions even after I leave.
Boss: That sounds like a solid plan. Let’s schedule regular check-ins to ensure everything is on track. And, if there’s anything else we can do to support you during this time, please let me know.
Office Worker: I appreciate that, Rachel. I’ll start drafting the documentation and keep you updated on my progress.
Boss: Great. Thanks for your honesty and professionalism, Alex. We'll definitely miss you, but I wish you all the best in your future endeavours.
Office Worker: Thank you, Rachel. I’ve learned a lot here, and I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had. I’ll do my best to leave things in good shape.
Boss: I’m sure you will. Let’s keep the lines of communication open, and we’ll get through this together.
Office Worker: Absolutely. Thanks for understanding, Rachel.
Boss: Anytime, Alex. Let’s get to work on this transition plan.
Comments
Hi, Graham, I find interesting all related with post-holiday syndrome, but I don’t agree with the main conclusions.
First of all, I think it’s an exaggeration to talk about bad experiences like tiredness, lack of appetite or muscle ache. I don’t believe that these kinds of symptoms are commons. Of course, depends on the kind of job and, above all, on the psychological attitude, but, in my opinion, the people don’t suffer this traumatic situation in the most of the jobs when they get back into a routine. For the same reason, I don’t find necessary to think in buffer days in order to overcome the first day of job without anxiety or planning out during half an hour how to getting back into the work. Definitely, I think that the researchers at the University of Granada and the others professionals should pay attention to other more interesting matters.
We forget that the holidays weren’t commons before the Second World War. It’s a privilege of the recent generations. So, the most of the workers in the world didn’t have holidays because these didn’t exist. I can’t imagine what would be the reaction of the workers today if they had to renounce your holidays...
Finally, I find some advices of the experts very poor. Is it really important cut back TV viewing during the holidays in order to achieve best emotional situation? And, above all, I don’t find others advices that, in my opinion, are more interesting: visit museums, read novels, watch cinema, etc. I have the impression that the author of this article is thinking at all times in a concrete social class, but the present world is varied
José Luis, professor
I did try to reply to you yesterday but the computer screen froze and I couldn't send my comment. I wasn't a happy chappy.
I find myself agreeing with you again.
I find everything related to the post-holiday syndrome interesting, but I don’t agree with the main conclusions.
First of all, I think it’s an exaggeration to talk about bad experiences like tiredness, lack of appetite or muscle ache. I don’t believe that these kinds of symptoms are common. Of course, it depends on the kind of job and, above all, on the psychological attitude, but, in my opinion, people don’t suffer this traumatic situation in most jobs when they get back into a routine.
For the same reason, I don’t find it necessary to think about buffer days in order to overcome the first day of work without anxiety or planning for half an hour how to get back into work.
Definitely, I think that the researchers at the University of Granada and the other professionals should be concerned about other more interesting matters.
We forget that holidays weren’t common before the Second World War. It’s a privilege of recent generations. So, most workers in the world didn’t have holidays because these didn’t exist. I can’t imagine what the reaction of workers today would be if they had to renounce their holidays.
Finally, I find some of the advice from the experts very poor. Is it really important to cut back on TV viewing during the holidays in order to achieve a better emotional state?
And, above all, I don’t find other advice that, in my opinion, is more interesting: visiting museums, reading novels, going to the cinema, etc. I have the impression that the author of this article is thinking of a specific social class all the time, but the present world is a varied one.