Vacation Bliss Doesn't Linger for Tired, Stressed-Out Workers

An American Psychological Association (APA) survey of more than 1,500 American full- or part-time workers found the de-stressing effects of vacations vanish once many employees return to work, reports HealthDay News . In addition, many respondents said they cannot relax and enjoy their time off at all. When they got back after a vacation, 68 percent of respondents said they were in a better mood, 66 percent had more energy, and 57 percent reported feeling more motivated and less stressed. The end result was that 58 percent said they were more productive, while 55 percent said their work improved. However, 40 percent said the vacation feeling disappeared within days, while 24 percent said it went away as soon as they returned to work. Moreover, 21 percent said they felt tense or stressed during their vacation, while 28 percent wound up working more than planned and 42 percent dreaded the thought of resuming work. "Employers shouldn't rely on the occasional vacation to offset a stressful work environment," says David Ballard with the APA's Center for Organizational Excellence. "Unless they address the organizational factors causing stress and promote ongoing stress-management efforts, the benefits of time off can be fleeting. When stress levels spike again shortly after employees return to work, that's bad for workers and for business." Top stressors named by respondents included low salaries, few opportunities for growth or advancement, a heavy workload, unrealistic job expectations, and long hours. "Chronic work stress, insufficient mental health resources, feeling overworked and under-supported — these are issues facing too many workers, but it doesn't have to be this way," Ballard concluded.