Time for a new hospitality job, or is it Just Holiday Blues?

Following the restrictions of the pandemic, many hospitality employees have finally taken a real break from work in 2022. Holiday spending has increased drastically due to missed travel opportunities in recent years. While a holiday can be a wonderful opportunity to recharge, relax, and refresh your mind, it can also push us to think more carefully about our lives and goals.

With inflation and the cost of living on the rise, you may start thinking about your future when lounging on the beach. According to research from Wix, 49% of Brits who went on a summer holiday subsequently planned to quit their job when they returned.

The question is, how do you tell the difference between a standard case of post-holiday blues and a real need to move hospitality roles?

Are you Struggling with Post-Holiday Blues?

Even in a world where countless new opportunities are emerging for hospitality candidates, it’s important not to rush into moving jobs. It’s common to feel drained and unhappy when returning to work after a holiday, but this doesn’t necessarily mean you hate your hospitality work.

Holidays and travel allow us to escape the working world’s stresses and explore other passions. Returning to reality after experiencing so much freedom can be difficult.

Post-holiday blues are a normal response to leaving behind your fun-filled and carefree holiday life. The phenomenon doesn’t just happen; it’s also common around the festive season and after any long breaks from work.

How to Handle Holiday Blues

If your concerns about returning to hospitality work are based largely on the desire to stay sitting by the pool for a little longer, the chances are you’re just experiencing post-holiday blues. Around 57% of Brits say they feel down when returning to work.

The good news is, that if you’re still relatively happy in your hospitality role, your post-holiday sadness will dissipate with time. You can speed up the process by:

1. Your Goals

Start establishing goals while returning to work to keep your mind focused and get you moving towards positive outcomes. Look at what it is you want to achieve from your hospitality work.

It could be as simple as saving towards something in your personal life to working your way to a promotion as Head Chef or Head Housekeeper. Keeping your goals front-of-mind, will keep you focussed and take your mind off any negative post-holiday feelings.

2. Your mindset

Sometimes it’s hard to snap out of your post-holiday blues when you’re constantly reminiscing about how “free” you felt outside work. A good way to flip the script is to start focusing on what you enjoy about your hospitality role. Remind yourself of the things you look forward to when you’re at work.

Exercise

Write down 10 things you love about your hospitality job.

This could be as simple as the team you work with, the customers or creating a new dish. You can also think about recent achievements.

Once you’ve written down your list, reflect and remind yourself how good it feels. This may help you reach your goals. For example, you could ask your manager if there are any opportunities to take on more of the work you enjoy.

3. Did You Prepare?

Did you prepare before you went away? It can really help the potential of holiday blues. If you didn’t don’t worry, take a look at the below for next time.

Start by ensuring you have all the tasks you need to do before you go away tied up and completed. This ensures you won’t rush to meet deadlines when you return.

Where possible, you can also look into giving yourself a day or two to adjust when you get back. Avoid packing your schedule with any complicated tasks when you get back into the swing. Focus on pursuing the tasks you enjoy, and give yourself a little extra time to find your rhythm.

Is It Holiday Blues or Hospitality Blues?

Holiday Blues are an unpleasant experience affecting even the most dedicated hospitality employees. However, they usually disappear on their own. If you find your negative feelings linger or go deeper than simply missing your holiday, there may be a more significant issue.

If you can’t seem to shake the holiday blues with the strategies above, ask yourself:

Are your concerns connected to your holiday?

If you’re suffering from holiday blues, most of your worries about returning to work will revolve around missing your trip or struggling to get back into the flow of things when you return. However, your concerns may be more significant if you have a real issue with your hospitality role. If you’re constantly struggling with a difficult manager, feel unfulfilled in your job at any time of year, or dread the tasks you do each day, this is a sign you may need a job change.

Do you enjoy your hospitality work?

There are positive and negative parts to any role. We all have parts of our jobs we don’t enjoy as much as others. The key to ensuring job satisfaction is deciding whether the positives outweigh the negatives. If you generally enjoy what you do and don’t dread work every day, you’re likely in the right place. If you can’t find much about the role you enjoy, you may be in the wrong position.

Are you approaching your goals?

A good way to determine whether you’re suffering from holiday blues, or struggling in the wrong position, is to look at your career plan. Are you making progress towards your hospitality goals? Can you see room for growth in your current company, and do you know how you will take the next step? If you feel trapped and unsatisfied in your current position and you’re not making any progress, you may need to look for another role.

Time To Assess Your Hospitality Work?

If you decide post-holiday blues aren’t the cause of your workplace issues, then you have a few options. You can consider speaking to your manager about ways to make your hospitality work more appealing. For instance, maybe you can change your schedule or move to a different area of the business.

If you can’t see a way to improve your working life, the best option is to seek out a new job. Work with a specialist recruiter to define what you are looking for. It’s time to start pursuing a working life you’ll be happy to return to after any holiday.

Here at KSB Hospitality and Catering Recruitment Agency, we have been helping candidates find hospitality and catering jobs for over 30 years. If you would like us to help you in finding work, send your CV through our Registration Portal or call 0121 314 9365. We can also support you to create an outstanding CV.  Alternatively, if you are a business looking for staff, we can also help.

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