Post-holiday stress | The R&R of a week's holiday is wiped out in less than two work days

We’ve all experienced the post-holiday blues. No matter how much you enjoy your job, there’s always that feeling of dread about sitting back down at your desk, after a few days of lying on a beach or exploring a new city.

And new research has found that it takes, on average, just over one working day for all of the relaxation and joy from a holiday to disappear.

A study conducted by Reed found that it takes an average of 11 working hours for stress levels to return to normal after a period of annual leave, pointing toward a concerning movement where ‘holiday destress’ quickly transforms into ‘holiday restress’.

Commenting on this, Ian Nicholas, Global Managing Director at Reed, said: “We’re entering the time of year when people come back to work after their holidays and experience the back-to-work blues. Workers are finding it harder and harder to switch off, especially as being able to take your work with you with your mobile is easier than ever. Tech making work more accessible often means our everyday work lives bleed into what is supposed to be our time off.