White-collar workers struggle more than blue-collar workers to fully enjoy their holidays.

So why is that?

Could it be due to the following reasons?

Minimum staff – maximum workload : In recent times, there is a trend in large companies to do more with fewer employees (the famous ‘efficiency‘ story), which often leads to more demanding and high-stress work environments. The accumulated stress and workload may make it difficult for you to mentally detach from work even during holidays. The constant thoughts about pending tasks or the fear of falling behind may hinder you from fully enjoying your vacation.

Workaholic culture : In many industries, long working hours and constant availability are unfortunately seen as signs of loyalty and success, thus creating a workaholic culture. This culture may make you feel guilty or pressured to not completely disconnect from work even during vacations.

Fear doesn’t support holidays : Let’s not put everything on the workplace. You white-collar professionals are not entirely faultless in this matter, either. Why, you may ask? Admit it, most of you are ambitious and have high career goals. Don’t you constantly strive to be ahead or at least in the spotlight? Doesn’t this desire create a fear of missing out on important opportunities, promotions, and so on? Especially when you realize that your colleagues (let’s be honest, in fact your ‘competitors’) are still working during holidays, as evident from the emails or WhatsApp messages you receive. Doesn’t this fear prevent you from fully disconnecting from work and enjoying your time to the fullest?

Damn digitalization…! When this workaholics trend combines with digital technology, you constantly have access to your emails and notifications (especially if you have a tight connection with overseas work, you may think they can’t wait for your holiday to end). This blurs the boundaries between work and personal life. When you struggle to disconnect digitally from work, you also struggle to resist the urge to check and respond to emails. In fact, are you aware that when you don’t digitally disconnect from work, you can’t fully disconnect mentally and physically?

In summary, my request to workaholic white-collar friends is: Recognize the value of taking a break. Allocate time for leisure activities consciously, not because of the insistence of your spouse, friends, or children. Don’t create excuses for not being able to disconnect from work. Maybe it will sound more appealing to a typical white-collar worker if I say it like this: Take a vacation to recharge and rejuvenate.

HAAAPPPYYY HOLIDAYS!