How To Overcome The Post-Holiday Syndrome

Truly Shakespearean passions boil in the offices of large and small companies during the first weeks of September: shouts, quarrels, insults. Psychologists diagnose that these are the consequences of the so-called post-holiday syndrome. Clerks that have relaxed on the sea and ocean shores can’t return to the tempo of work quickly. Experts have even calculated that this psychological discomfort develops into unmotivated aggression by not less than a half of just-rested citizens. Furthermore, if this behaviour more frequently manifested itself only in verbal squabbles with the colleagues earlier, now manhandling is already in question as well. Such fights don’t get into the police reports: the governing body doesn’t want to tell tales out of the office. But sociologists say that the number of brawls at work has doubled during the recent year. Moreover, people of quite peaceful professions take part in brawls. Personnel specialists note that absolutely all employees of the firms are liable to post-holiday depression – beginning with junior subordinates and ending with general directors. As for the most “dangerously explosive” professions, journalists, doctors and designers are first of all referred to them. Brain workers are arranged in this very order in the rating of the most “pugnacious” professions made by Hyteren Gruppe, the Austrian analytical company. One doesn t have to look far for examples. Journalists confirm their title of the main pugnacious fellows almost daily. Thus, the fight of The New York Times art department editors paralysed the newspaper’s work for the whole day in summer. Anita LeClerc, the boss, became the instigator of the quarrel, and Mary Ann Giordano, her deputy, was the victim. Everything began with the loud controversy concerning the segregation of duties among the employees. After a stormy “exchange of views”, the editor seized her deputy’s wrist, and a real fight began. Only the chief editor managed to stop the disturbances. A similar incident took place in Russia the other day as well, in one of the large capital newspapers. At the close of the working day two journalists from the culture department couldn’t come to an agreement about which of them would go to one of the capital theatres for reportage. In sum, nobody went: the chief reviewer of the newspaper had the front-tooth knocked out by means of the folder, and he in his turn gave a black eye to the opponent. Many psychologists advise the leaders of the firms to hold corporate parties or trips to the open country during the first weeks of September in order to cope with post-holiday depression of their employees. Positive mood will help the staff to “join” in the work tempo. However some heads of the corporations manage to relieve their subordinates from stress more efficiently than holding a banal corporate party. In most cases unexpected decisions yield positive result. Corporate psychologists invent various trainings and exercises “for nerves” and also create special “relaxing” rooms in some firms. The Japanese invention of the 50’s of the last century – “boss for beating” – is used all over the world up till now. Furthermore, calm music plays in smoking rooms of some corporations so that one might be distracted from work for a while. And special chill-outs, where one can sit in a quiet atmosphere and communicate with the colleagues on abstract topics, are created here and there. Iuri Tarabanov writes about interesting travel experiences. His Discount Travel site is http://www.travelime.com