With Blighty basking in boiling heat, you could be forgiven for daydreaming about swapping the office for the pub garden. However, bring your employees with you or you could risk losing valuable talent who are struggling with the post-holiday blues.
New research from CV-Library, a recruitment site, has revealed that almost six out of ten staff members say they’re more likely to look for new jobs after the summer. As people return to work, the post-holiday blues motivates 57.1% of workers to consider finding a new job. In September last year, CV-Library saw a 13.2% increase in candidates registering their CVs. During the same period, job applications soared by 7.5%. And other companies are hiring, with vacancies posted by businesses rose by 17% during September 2015.
But even if workers don’t go job hunting, leaving them to deal with post-holiday blues can affect your business negatively. The research found that 55.8% of workers say their morale plummets after coming back from holiday. Listing some of the factors that make returning to work so hard, 28.4% cite getting up early, 25.1% struggle to get back into a routine, 17.9% mention catching up on work, 10.9% are downcast when they see their email inbox, 8.5% find staying motivated tough and 5.8% are faced with work-related stress.
And it’s up to business leaders to do something about it, given that 86.9% of respondents believe it’s up to the employer to turn that frown upside down. Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, urged employers to implement a catch-up process that allows employees to refamiliarise themselves with projects and team members. “Ensuring you accommodate these needs can help workers feel more positive about their return to work after a summer break and may prevent employees looking for work elsewhere,” said Biggins.
To avoid the post-holiday blues depriving you of your best employees, it is important to ensure your staff feel welcome back at work. So why not schedule a visit to the pub with your co-workers to ensure they’re up to speed and feel that your startup is a place where everybody knows their names? 
