How to cope with post-holiday back to work blues

Brits love their breaks, with a recent study finding that one third of UK adults are planning to take at least two holidays in 2023.

In the face of belt-tightening and the cost of living crisis, UK workers are prioritising their holiday spend over things such as takeaways, eating out and socialising with friends.

This summer, the top five destinations that Britons will be jetting off to are Tenerife, Majorca, Alicante, Lanzarote, and Antalya, according to Advantage Travel Partnership.

Sun and beach holidays come in at the top spot for the most popular vacation types, with almost half of the survey’s respondents indicating that they would be booking a beach destination this summer.

And, it is holidaymakers from the northwest who overwhelmingly prefer a sun and beach break with 67% saying this is their top holiday choice.

Dreading the return to office

What is not so great is the fact that UK workers dread their return to work after their summer break, according to another study.

Forty-two per cent of employees surveyed in a 2019 study by Achievers said that their stress levels quickly rocket once they are back at their desk, indicating that despite the rest and relaxation value delivered by that fortnight in the sun, something is amiss.

It’s normal to dread work occasionally: the company is understaffed, you’re temporarily taking on more responsibility, a big project is taking forever to complete, or you’ve got some tricky clients to deal with––these can all cause frustration and a lack of engagement.

When you dread work all the time, particularly after a holiday period, that can be a symptom of a bigger issue. The study also found that 33% of workers don’t get enough time to themselves when they’re away, and a quarter worried about work during their downtime.

Switching off matters, because not only does it give you a break from work-related tasks, but it also gives your mind a chance to reset and refocus, allowing you to return to work feeling refreshed.

UK workers know this too, with 85% of respondents viewing their summer break as ‘absolutely critical’ to their overall wellbeing at work.

So what happens if, despite jetting off to the sun, you’re one of the people who absolutely has the return to office blues? Here are some things you can do to address the situation.

Take your holiday entitlement

Making sure you’re getting adequate breaks is really important as a first step in giving yourself enough of a break from work that you won’t feel blue coming back.

In the UK, the minimum statutory annual leave entitlement is set at 5.6 weeks’ paid holiday, or 28 days for full time workers.

And taking that leave is really important––it’s a part of your employment rights for one thing, but you may lose any days accrued if they roll over into a new year.

Make sure you block-book out a decent amount of time off, take it––and enjoy it.

Assess your value

If you don’t want to return to work after a period off, take a look at your working conditions. One study reported by Lumapps found that 88% of UK workers have experienced at least some level of burnout over the last two years.

Too much work, not enough feedback, zero recognition for your work and initiative: all of these things can lead to workers feeling like they have had enough.

Bad bosses simply don’t value either their workers or what they can do, and more than two in five UK employees have left a job because of a bad manager, according to a survey of 2,100 UK employees by Visier.

The survey also found that 43% of workers have left a job because of their manager, and 53% of people who are considering leaving their job say that it’s because of their boss.

Ask for more interesting work

One of the biggest reasons you may be dreading heading back to the grind is because you’re simply disengaged and bored with your job.

One in three UK workers are ‘quiet quitting’, with research fro BetterUp suggesting that a third of employees are showing up to work with the purpose of doing the bare minimum to get paid.

If that’s you, asking your manager for more interesting projects, access to a learning and development budget to undertake some skills training, or simply explaining that you’re open to new career opportunities internally could be the solution you need to reignite your love for the job.

Get a new job

And if all else fails, it may be time to look for a new job. Metro Jobs is a good place to begin for anyone burnt out, disengaged and looking for a new opportunity to energise their 9-5.

And crucially, your new role should be one you’re really happy to come back from holidays and get stuck back into.

For thousands of fantastic career opportunities, visit Metro Jobs