Holiday in everyday life!

It’s again the time of year when the summer holiday season ends, everyday life begins, and going to work takes a good night’s sleep. Being refreshed and rested crumbles faster than you can say lunchbreak. Or does it?

According to Jessica de Bloom, a researcher at the University of Tampere, getting back to it after a holiday can be made easier. When you have your next vacation booked before returning to work, you don’t start to feel tired. You’re already planning your next time off.

If taking a vacation isn’t possible, de Bloom recommends returning to work mid-week, not on Monday. This way, the first week feels lighter when it’s just a few days.

Simple, pleasant activities make the evenings feel refreshing. For the first week back at work, you might want to set aside something especially nice for the evenings, such as a picnic, visiting the sauna, and an evening swim. Could you also start the day a little later and arrange a morning coffee date at the market? Like that, those small but special moments on holiday become part of everyday working life.

De Bloom also points out that the most important thing is not to stay on the couch tapping your phone. Browsing on your smartphone is proven to prevent proper recovery, especially in the evening which diminishes your quality of sleep, making a painless return to work even more difficult.

As an employer, it is good to understand the holistic impact of vacation and return to work on well-being at the workplace. It is important for us to present our employees with a plan to help them return to daily life and stay well-rested.

Annual holiday

The 2nd of May to the 30th of September is generally when people take a break from work in Finland. During this time. you’re paid annual holiday pay. Remaining days off can be taken outside of this period or kept for later use if agreed on. You can find more information about annual holidays here.

Source: Jessica de Bloom: Making Holidays Work