In a recent survey, TravelOnline found that 65% of Australian workers are influenced to travel by their work. Out of these respondents 17% of people admit to feeling constantly filled with holiday envy from their co-workers and 32% of people feel the pressure from their co-workers to tick more items off their bucket list. So, what is it about our co-workers that fills us with so much holiday envy?
Our survey found that 18% of people enjoy bragging about not being at work when on holidays. Whether this bragging is face to face, or through social media it’s easy to feel envious when you’re on the receiving end. We all have that one colleague whose Instagram account forces us into a fury of rage while viewing their latest upload from Hawaii and thinking “Wait, I swear you were in Thailand last month?!”
Our survey also found that 35% of people don’t experience guilt when requesting time off work, and while that’s fantastic for them, the people left behind in the office aren’t quite as thrilled. It can be increasingly difficult to be happy for your co-worker while you’re stuck in the 9-5 grind and they’re off sipping cocktails in the South Pacific. You may resent them even more when you have to pick up the extra slack at work while they’re away. However, there are ways of counteracting this resentment, that doesn’t involve liquid therapy. Here are four simple steps to reduce your holiday envy.
Take a moment to understand what about the situation makes you so envious. Are you angry that your co-worker appears to have a higher salary than you even though you have the same job role? Or, are you upset because they seem to have better time management and budgeting skills than you? Whatever the reason, it’s important to reflect and identify ways you can address this issue. Maybe you can talk to your boss about salary concerns, or alternatively take some time to research your next holiday destination, find competitive prices and create strategies to budget more effectively.
If you find yourself feeling envious of your co-workers’ holiday, it might be time to start planning one of your own. We understand that life can be chaotic and in between meetings, deadlines, schedules and maintaining your social life, planning a holiday can be the last thing on your mind. However, you have exactly the same number of annual leave days per year as your co-workers, so there’s no excuse not to use them! Booking a holiday for yourself will allow you to focus on your own situation and reduce feelings of jealous towards others. Plus, holiday planning is almost as exciting as the holiday itself, so once you secure that precious time off, you’ll be constantly looking forward to your upcoming break. Soon enough, your co-workers holiday plans won’t seem like such a big deal and you can enjoy the build-up and excitement of holiday planning together.
If you find yourself feeling envious of your co-worker’s beautifully captured holiday photos on social media, try to remember that their feed is just a highlights reel and not always the full story. In reality, holidays can expose us to a great deal of risk and more often than not, things go wrong. So, while your colleague may appear to be having the most relaxing time on their luxury private yacht in Bali, they could actually be suffering from terrible sea sickness. Or, maybe the only reason your co-worker can afford these amazing holidays is because they’re drowning in credit card debt. Thing’s aren’t always as glamorous as they appear on social media, so do your best not to judge.
If all else fails and you can’t seem to suppress your holiday envy, just avoid talking about it altogether and unfollow them on social media. Alternatively, switch the conversation towards getting them to plan your holiday, because if you can’t beat them, just make them your personal travel agent!
