Post Vacation Blues

6/12/2002

Nearly every worker experiences them: post-vacation blues. It's happened to all of us, that kind of short-term sadness and letdown that accompanies going back to the office after a wonderful sojourn to Europe, a trip to the beach or the mountains, or just hanging out at home with the kids for a week, writes free-lancer Jim Owen in an article posted on the Microsoft Network's Web site.

The syndrome doesn't just affect the returning vacationers. It also can be a drag on workplace productivity, and a downer for co-workers who aren't eager to hear war stories about great holidays, according to the American Management Association.

There are a number of ways to avoid the problem, however, beginning with perhaps the most obvious -- scheduling vacations to end on a Thursday or Friday, so you'll have a weekend to readjust.

"The worst thing is when you come back late on a Sunday night and then have to plunge right back into it," says a trade association professional in Washington, D.C. (CNS)

Technology workload

Despite technological efficiencies, 58 percent of all women and men say it is harder to juggle work and family demands than it was four years ago, according to a recent nationwide survey by the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation.

"We hear so much about how technology is transforming the workplace and changing our lives," said Jacqueline Woods, AAUW's executive director. "But for a sizable number of adults, technology has created more work and longer hours. Quite frankly, technology is not living up to the promise of making our work lives more livable. For a growing number, it is just adding to the stress of daily life." (CNS)