Almost a third of the workforce dread the extra work waiting for them after taking annual leave, according to a poll by national staffing agency Select Appointments.

Of the 1,163 workers polled, 38% cannot wait to book their next holiday and only 20% feel more rested and organised on their return to work.

A mere 4% are desperate to get back to their desks, and surprisingly, 7% claim to not take any holiday at all.

Sandy Jarrett, strategy support manager, Select Appointments, says: “Employees who return to the office fearing they’re going to face risk benefiting from the recuperative rest and relaxation they enjoyed on holiday.

“In the UK we already suffer from the shortest amount of holiday and from working the longest hours in Europe. If line managers spend time with their staff to understand outstanding projects and workload, as well as possible bottlenecks, and put measures in place to enable them to hand over their work, there is more chance they will return motivated and refreshed.”