Does a Holiday Cure Burnout? Why the Relief Fades So Fast

Abstract

This article is about a question many people ask after a break: does a holiday cure burnout? Three pieces of research bear on it. A study of 76 clerks (Westman and Eden, 1997) found that burnout dropped during a vacation, was partly back three days after returning, and had returned to its earlier level three weeks later. A meta-analysis of seven studies (de Bloom and colleagues, 2009) found a small positive effect of vacation on health and well-being, and a small fade-out after people returned. A study of 131 teachers (Kühnel and Sonnentag, 2011) found that the gains had disappeared within a month, faster when job demands after the vacation were high and slower when people relaxed in their leisure time. These are associations in specific groups, not in finance teams. The three steps at the end are practical readings, not tested methods, and this article is not medical advice.

The Wednesday after ten days away

You came back from ten days away on Monday. On Sunday evening you felt rested for the first time in months. By Wednesday afternoon you are reading the same email for the third time, and the rested feeling has gone.

You had expected the break to fix something. Now you are wondering whether the holiday did nothing, or whether you did it wrong.

Does a holiday cure burnout?

The research cited here does not show that it does. In these studies, burnout was measured with questionnaires, which is not a diagnosis. What the studies describe is relief while away and a fade-out after return, and how fast the fade-out happened depended on what people came back to. The studies were of clerks, teachers and mixed groups, and none was limited to finance. The next three sections cover what each one found. None of them tested the three steps at the end.

What a study of 76 clerks found about the fade-out

Westman and Eden (1997) followed 76 clerks around a vacation. Participants completed measures of job stress and burnout twice before the vacation, once during it, and twice after it. The design was a quasi-experiment, with no randomisation.

Burnout dropped during the vacation. It had partly risen back three days after the clerks returned to work, and it had returned to the pre-vacation level three weeks after. Comparing the two pre-vacation measures showed no sign that people felt better just from looking forward to the break. People who were more satisfied with their vacation gained more relief, and they also experienced the fastest fade-out. This is summarised from the published abstract.

Read the Wednesday through this. A rested feeling that is partly gone within days is what the clerks described, so it does not mean you did the holiday wrong. This is an inference. It was one group of clerks in one study, and it does not say what you can do about the fade-out.

What a meta-analysis found across seven studies

De Bloom and colleagues (2009) searched PsycInfo and Medline and selected seven studies of how vacation affects health and well-being. Vacation had a small positive effect on health and well-being, with an effect size of +0.43. After people returned to work, the benefits largely disappeared, a small fade-out effect of -0.38.

The authors note that vacation activities and experiences have hardly been studied, so their role in both the effect and the fade-out is unclear. They call for stronger designs with repeated measurements before, during and after a vacation. This is summarised from the published abstract.

Read your own break through this. A holiday helping a little and fading largely after return is the pattern the meta-analysis describes, and it is a pattern in averages. This is an inference. The abstract does not report any finding on how long a holiday should be, or on what to do while away.

What a study of 131 teachers found about what speeds the fade-out

Kühnel and Sonnentag (2011) studied 131 teachers. Participants completed questionnaires once before their vacation and three times after it. Work engagement rose and burnout fell after the vacation, and both gains had disappeared within one month.

Two things were linked with how fast. High job demands after the vacation hastened the loss of the benefits. Relaxing in leisure time after the vacation slowed it. The authors suggest that reducing job demands and making sure people get relaxing leisure time could extend the relief from a vacation. This is summarised from the published abstract and a repository page.

Read the first week back through this. What you come back to may matter as much as what you did while away. This is an inference. It was one group of teachers, and the study did not test an intervention.

Does a holiday cure burnout? Three steps to make the relief last

None of these is a tested method, and none was studied in finance teams. They combine what the research points to with ordinary practice. Where a step goes beyond the research, it says so.

1. Plan the first two days back before you leave. Block the first morning with no meetings, ask one colleague to triage what came in, and write the three things that matter. For instance: "Tuesday: no calls before noon. A colleague triages the inbox. My three: payroll check, audit query, supplier call." Westman and Eden (1997) found burnout partly back three days after return, and Kühnel and Sonnentag (2011) linked high demands after a vacation with faster fade-out. This is an inference from both studies, and no study cited here tested this step.

2. Keep one relaxation habit after you return. Choose something small that you can repeat, such as a walk without your phone on two evenings a week. In the study of teachers, relaxing in leisure time after the vacation slowed the loss of benefits. This is an inference. That study did not test a particular habit, and no study cited here tested this step.

3. Pick one workload change before your next holiday. Choose one thing that is yours only because nobody has moved it, such as a standing report or a weekly meeting. For instance: "From next month, the supplier reconciliation moves to the team. I review it monthly." This is a judgement. The research links demands after vacation with faster fade-out, but no study cited here tested changing workload.

If you cannot relax even when you are away, Why You Can't Switch Off From Work: What the Research Says is about that. For the wider picture, there are Burnout in Finance: Why High Performers Hit the Wall and Why High Performers Cannot Think Their Way Out of Burnout. If work keeps coming back to your desk, How to Delegate as a Finance Manager: Why Work Comes Back explains why. And if the load comes in waves, Month-End Close Stress: Why It Comes Home With You covers one of them.

Questions People Ask

How long does the benefit of a holiday last?

It depends on the study and the group. Among 76 clerks, burnout was partly back after three days and fully back after three weeks. Among 131 teachers, the gains had gone within a month. The meta-analysis found that benefits largely disappeared after return. None of these studies was of finance staff.

Is a longer holiday better?

The research cited here does not say. The abstract of the meta-analysis reports no finding on length. In the study of clerks, people who were more satisfied with their vacation gained more relief and also faded fastest. This is an inference: how you come back may matter more than how long you were away.

Why can't I relax on holiday?

The studies cited here measured burnout and well-being, not the ability to switch off. Why You Can't Switch Off From Work: What the Research Says is the article on that question.

Can coaching help with burnout?

Coaching is educational support for work patterns. It can help you notice what you come back to, and plan changes to the load. It is not treatment for burnout. No study cited here tested coaching.

When it is more than tiredness

Tiredness after work is one thing. It is more when exhaustion does not lift after rest, when you cannot sleep, when you feel persistently low or anxious, or when you notice physical symptoms. In those cases talk to your doctor, your occupational health service or a qualified mental health professional. This article is not medical advice. Coaching is educational support for work patterns. It is not treatment and not a substitute for it.

Sources

• de Bloom, J., Kompier, M., Geurts, S., de Weerth, C., Taris, T., & Sonnentag, S. (2009). Do we recover from vacation? Meta-analysis of vacation effects on health and well-being. Journal of Occupational Health, 51(1), 13–25. DOI: 10.1539/joh.K8004 (Summarised from the published abstract.)

• Kühnel, J., & Sonnentag, S. (2011). How long do you benefit from vacation? A closer look at the fade-out of vacation effects. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 32(1), 125–143. DOI: 10.1002/job.699 (Summarised from the published abstract and a repository page.)

• Westman, M., & Eden, D. (1997). Effects of a respite from work on burnout: Vacation relief and fade-out. Journal of Applied Psychology, 82(4), 516–527. DOI: 10.1037/0021-9010.82.4.516 (Summarised from the published abstract.)