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Employees more productive post-holiday

Written by ksimonsen | 19/06/12 09:41


Over a quarter of Britons feel they are more motivated after returning to work from holiday.

That's according to a study by insurer LV= which investigated holiday trends amongst British workers. While it may have confirmed some of the obvious benefits of taking a holiday, with regards to employee wellbeing, it also revealed a telling amount about how workers fail to switch off whilst away from work.

For example, telegraph.co.uk reports the study found it takes Britons an average of three-and-a-half days to become relaxed enough to enjoy their holiday, suggesting any less than this won't do anything for their productivity.

Furthermore it's expected that one in five won't take their full holiday entitlement for the year, wasting an average of around seven days holiday. This ends up putting around £540 worth of holiday cash back into an employer's pocket.

Perhaps though it's not surprising at times like these, navigating through uncertainty, that so many employees fail to relax whilst away from the office.

A quarter of those polled admitted to working while on holiday and almost a third said that they spent time thinking about work.

Commenting on wsandb.co.uk, psychologist Dr Glenn Wilson said that "balance" is key to producing happy and productive staff.

"A balance needs to be struck with workers who say they are too busy to take a holiday, as the strain of not having a break will accumulate over time leaving them more likely to burn out and be less effective at work," he said.