Holiday and stress: Why time off alone is not enough

It is probably one of the most common pieces of advice I hear as a Business Partner for Absence Management.

“You’ve been working hard. Why don’t you take a few days off?”

“Go on holiday. You’ll feel much better afterwards.”

“You need some rest.”

It is well-intentioned advice. And sometimes it is exactly what someone needs. Rest matters. Recovery is essential. Research shows that holidays significantly reduce stress and fatigue.

But behind this advice lies a common misconception.

The assumption that a holiday can solve a problem that actually develops during work.

Recovery is not the same as solving the problem

A holiday can certainly leave someone feeling refreshed. Stepping away from work, changing your routine, getting more sleep, and having fewer obligations all have a positive effect on our wellbeing.

However, if the working conditions remain exactly the same after returning, the built-up tension often gradually returns as well.

That is hardly surprising.

A holiday temporarily removes the workload, but it does not change what is causing it.

When workloads are consistently too high, expectations are unclear, or people continuously expend more energy than they are able to recover during work, the same cycle simply starts again after the holiday.

Not because the holiday was ineffective, but because the work itself has not changed.

What is a holiday actually meant for?

Perhaps we do not ask ourselves that question often enough.

A holiday is meant to create distance from work. To spend time with family and friends. To experience new places. To relax. To recharge after a period of healthy effort.

It is not meant to compensate for a way of working that drains more energy than it gives throughout the year.

If a holiday feels like the only time you become yourself again, that is not a sign that you need more holidays.

It is a sign that there is too little opportunity for recovery during the working week.

Recovery should be part of work

Research has shown for years that recovery does not only happen outside work. Moments of recovery during the working day are essential for staying healthy, productive, and sustainably employable.

Think of having influence over your own work, realistic expectations, variety in daily tasks, opportunities to take breaks, and support from colleagues and managers. These factors help prevent workload from continually increasing and allow employees to recover throughout the working week.

When that happens, holidays no longer have to function as an emergency brake.

Instead, they become what they were always meant to be: a time for relaxation, enjoyment, and renewed energy, rather than a necessary recovery period just to cope with work again afterwards.

A different perspective on prevention

Within occupational health, we often talk about preventing absenteeism. In doing so, the focus is frequently on what employees themselves can do to stay healthy.

But perhaps prevention starts with a different question.

Not: “How can we make sure employees recover sufficiently during their holidays?”

But: “How can we organise work in a way that allows employees to recover throughout the entire year?”

Because the more recovery becomes part of the normal working week, the more holidays can once again fulfil their original purpose.

Not to recover from work.

But to enjoy life beyond it.