Gary Martin: How to survive the dreaded return to the office after a break

Rolling back into work on the first Monday after a break is the ultimate wake-up call.

It is like being jolted from a peaceful nap by the roar of a jackhammer outside your bedroom window.

Gone are lazy mornings and endless days of freedom.

In their place comes the harsh reality of email alerts, buzzing phones and a meeting calendar bursting at the seams like an overstuffed suitcase.

The morning alarm, silent during your holiday, now screams like a banshee to pull you from a dreamy haze of late breakfasts and leisurely strolls.

Stepping into the office feels like entering a foreign country, where your desk is the only recognisable landmark.

And even the desk seems to have aged during your holiday absence, buried under a landslide of papers and Post-it notes to remind you of tasks that once felt so far away but are now almost due.

Your inbox, meanwhile, resembles a digital tsunami and threatens to sweep you away with messages marked “urgent”.

Colleagues greet you with the same enthusiastic opener: “How was your break?”

At first, you respond with gusto and spin tales of sun-soaked beaches, backyard barbecues or epic TV binges.

But by the fifth retelling, your energy wanes and the answer condenses into a lifeless “yeah, it was good”, delivered with all the enthusiasm usually reserved for a leftover sausage roll at an office morning tea.

Meetings start to roll in and with them returns the rhythm of office life.

By mid-morning, the dreaded realisation sets in: this day will feel longer than a primary school assembly on a hot afternoon.

Tasks that once felt second nature now seem insurmountable and every email you have to send is as arduous to write as a letter in invisible ink.

Work clothes pinch and the air-conditioning, set to sub-Antarctic temperatures, chills you to your core.

But as the day trudges on, familiar routines return.

Muscle memory takes over and, before long, you have ticked off a few items on your to-do list.

By lunchtime, optimism rolls in. You have survived the morning, reconnected with colleagues, and remembered why your job exists.

The office banter returns and with it a reminder that work is more than just tasks but about the people who share in the experience.

The afternoon moves at a more manageable pace and as the clock ticks towards home time, a sense of relief washes over you.

Tomorrow will be easier and, by the end of the week, the holiday will feel like a distant but cherished memory.

Besides, the countdown to the Australia Day long weekend has already begun.

Professor Gary Martin is CEO of AIM WA and a specialist in workplace and social trends.