For many Australians, Monday will be the first day back at work. Come 9am or thereabouts tomorrow, the relaxing Christmas break will be but a distant memory, replaced by the daily grind of the workplace. More than half of Australians are dreading the thought of going back to the office, and the feeling is more intense the younger you are.
According to a Telstra survey, almost three in four 18 to 24-year-olds are dreading going back to work in the New Year. But that sentiment appears to decline with age – among working baby boomers, less than four in 10 will be dragging their feet come the first day back:
![More than 50 per cent of Australian employees – maybe even the ones who are stock photo models – dread going back to ...](/web/20170115093903im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/j/m/4/y/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtrhf1.png/1484423919212.jpg)
Those over 65 are practically raring to get back into it, and returning to work was a source of dread for only one in five.
Deakin University organisational psychology professor Michael Leiter said younger people were dreading going back to work because they were "on the short end of the stick" when it came to meaningful jobs.
"You don't start off in the plumb job too often. This is the gap between what your ideal work world and what your reality is," he said.
"Millennials have had a more idealistic perspective of their dream career sold to them," he said, "I think universities are somewhat guilty of this."
"For generations before, it was probably more cut and dried and practical. We've primed folks to be more impatient, that you get right to that meaningful job straight away."
Sydney psychologist Jacqui Manning adds that people's unhappiness at work can be highlighted when they have a few weeks off.
"I try to brainstorm with clients all the time with how they can tailor their work days to increase their energy and positivity," she said. "I'm often talking to clients about whether there's a possibility to work from home, even if just for a day or two per fortnight."
The survey found younger people were also more likely to be thinking about changing jobs and were yearning for more workplace flexibility.
Telstra home and business projects executive director Stuart Bird said advances in internet technology meant it was easier to work from home. "Kick-starting the conversation with your manager is often all it takes to get the ball rolling," he said.
With so many people reluctant to ease back into their regular routines, the first day back at work after Christmas holidays has even been given a name – "Blue Monday".
Blue Monday falls on the third Monday in January and is claimed to be the most dreaded and depressing day of the year, with a mathematical formula to prove it.
The date has been gaining in popularity over the past decade, and Google searches for "Blue Monday" surge each January.
But while it is probably true that a good proportion of people feel down about going back to work, the idea that Blue Monday has a basis in science is nonsense.
The date was popularised by a PR agency in England to advertise a now defunct TV travel channel. They created a bogus mathematical formula and paid a university maths tutor to put his name to it so media organisations would think it was real. From there this piece of fake news was picked up went viral, and Blue Monday has stuck ever since.
![The Blue Monday formula. W = weather, T = time since Christmas, D = debt. It looks clever, but makes no mathematical sense.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170115093903im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/r/i/2/8/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x0.png)
The Blue Monday formula. W = weather, T = time since Christmas, D = debt. It looks clever, but makes no mathematical sense. Photo: Supplied