Unpacking 10 Ways to Support Employee with Post-vacation Blues

Do your employees appear down in the dumps after returning from their holidays? HR teams that support employees post-vacation will find them bouncing back much more easily compared to those who have to muddle through the realities of work on their own.

Going on vacation can fill your mind with peace and tranquility but returning from these breaks often has the opposite effect, undoing all the mental progress made with a clear head. Whether you’re an employer or employee, you will be familiar with the active mental shift that is required to get back to managing work after vacations. 

There are many ways to beat these vacation blues and while employees can usually manage it themselves, it helps when employers are also understanding about the transition.

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These 10 Ways to Support Employees Post-vacation Will Come In Handy Sooner or Later

Before we get to dealing with the problem, we must first be able to understand it. What are post-vacation blues? The term often refers to the slump in energy and emotions that an individual experiences after returning from their holidays. Despite a positive experience while they are away, people often struggle to return to their normal routine because it is rarely as relaxing or exciting as their time away.

Coming back to work requires employees to refocus their energies on working hard and re-adopting the pressures of working a 9-to-5. This is particularly hard when they return to a bigger workload than the one they had when they left in the first place. This adjustment period can be brief or prolonged, but regardless of the duration, it does have an impact on their work performance.

In such situations, there are two goals that employers need to prioritize in supporting employees post-vacation. First, ensuring their experience back at work is manageable, and second, testing out a few ways to get their spirits back up. Let’s explore some ways to beat the vacation blues.

1. Ensure the Pre-vacation Period Is Smooth

One of the best ways to cope with post-vacation blues is to eliminate any potential reasons for it to arise in the first place. When employees begin to prepare for their vacations, work with them to take tasks off their plate or hand them over to someone else so their return to work isn’t overwhelming.

2. Divide Work to Balance the Workload Among Employees Still on the Job

Help employees work with colleagues to hand over their duties temporarily or establish other contact points so they don’t have to be disturbed during their vacation. Communicate clearly and help employees also communicate with each other, as this will be key in ensuring there is no hold-up when the employee is on leave.

Ensuring that the remaining workers aren’t left with an overwhelming workload is also part of HR’s responsibility.

3. Plan Ahead to Ensure the Post Vacation Period Is Not Packed with Immediate Deadlines

When the vacation timelines are known, it is easier to plan and ensure that employees will not have immediate deadlines when they return. It is obvious that they will struggle to meet these deadlines and their approach to future work will also be affected. 

Ensure that at least a few of the initial days are dedicated to reconnecting with the work itself.

4. Promote a Work-Life Balance to Allow Them to Step Away Everyday

When it comes to managing work after vacation, avoid putting pressure on workers to operate overtime and pull themselves together. Revisit their tasks and ensure they are on track to finish them, but also encourage them to log out on time and maintain a decent work-life balance.

5. Lead by Example, Be the Blueprint

When it comes to solutions for post-holiday blues, it’s always a good idea to start by returning yourself to the headspace for work first before encouraging workers. Avoid overloading your own plate or becoming overwhelmed with everything there is to do. 

Sort out your tasks in order of priority and handle them one by one, ensuring you are able to regulate your emotions as you work.

6. Don’t Punish Employees for Taking the Time Off

Avoid treating employees harshly when there are signs that they are struggling to cope with their post-vacation blues. Such an approach is counterproductive and will only hurt the organization even further when the temporary blues turn into active dislike for the work. Have productive conversations with employees to know where they stand and what they need from you.

7. Bring Employees Together to Reconnect with Each Other

When employees return from organization-wide breaks like Christmas and New Year’s, a large number of them are likely to be disoriented or disconnected from work. Create opportunities for them to meet and talk to each other, reestablishing their connections to the organization and to each other.

8. Give Employees a Reason to Focus On What They like About Their Jobs

Consider leading with tasks that employees enjoy or prefer before heading into the harder tasks. This will make it easier for them to return to the right headspace to work. Of course, it’s impossible to only give employees tasks that they enjoy when other pressing work remains, but it is not impossible to find a system where they can revisit what they enjoy best about their jobs.

9. Encourage Employees to Reach Out to their Resource Groups and Mentors

When employees return to work after a break, encourage them to reach out to their support systems at work and catch up with everything that has happened in their absence. Mentors are very helpful when it comes to refocusing one’s attention back on their career goals, so regular conversation should help significantly with getting back on track.

10. Create a Welcoming Environment and Address the Work Culture

To support employees post-vacation, consider sprucing up the space and maintaining a physical environment where employees feel welcome. Providing some workplace attractions also helps but if that isn’t feasible, consider showcasing a welcoming attitude to returning workers and reminding everyone that they are welcome to speak to their HR team or their managers, to express what they need.

Allow workers to be more vocal about their requirements and meet them halfway when possible. Soon enough, the post-vacation blues will drive themselves away.

The post Unpacking 10 Ways to Support Employee with Post-vacation Blues appeared first on The HR Digest.

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