Almost a third of the workforce dread the extra work waiting for them after taking annual leave, according to a poll by leading national staffing services company, Select Appointments.
Of the 1,163 workers polled, 38 per cent cannot wait to book their next holiday and only 20 per cent feel more rested and organised on their return to work. A mere four per cent are desperate to get back to their desks, and surprisingly, seven per cent claim not to take any holiday at all.
Sandy Jarrett, Strategy Support Manager, Select Appointments, said: Employees who return to the office fearing the amount of work they’re going to face risk not benefiting from the recuperative rest and relaxation they enjoyed on holiday. In the UK we already suffer from the shortest average amount of holiday and from working the longest hours in Europe. If line managers spend time with their staff to understand outstanding projects and workload, as well as possible bottlenecks, and put measures in place to enable them to hand over their work, there is more chance they will return motivated and refreshed.
Top tips to help staff ease back into work after holidays:
* Ask colleagues to check email and in-trays, or hire a temporary to cover for them so that morale and productivity does not suffer
* Ask employees to prepare hand-over notes and spend some time with the person covering their role
* Welcome them back after their break
* Advise employees to spend the initial part of their first day back going through their inbox and creating an action list of tasks to be completed, so they have an organised approach
* Don’t arrange meetings for the returning employee on the day of their return
British Workers Dread Returning to Work After Holidays
Almost a third of the workforce dread the extra work waiting for them after taking annual leave
