The signs are there for all bosses to see - dozing off, flagging spirits and stomach aches - post-holiday syndrome.
It's what happens when a person fails to readjust to the working environment after a long holiday. The condition can be both physical and mental, with syndromes such as being absent minded or having gastric problems from over eating.
Bank clerk Li Duo, 26, was absent-minded and tired when he returned to the office after the Lunar New Year break. Li hung out until very late with his friends and woke up in the afternoons. 'It was crazy but I enjoyed it,' he says. 'My biological clock took ages to adjust when I returned to work. I was exhausted during the day and could not sleep at night.'
The holiday took an even bigger toll on Tan Fang, 22, who works at an advertising agency. 'I had gastroenteritis and had to be on the drip for four days. I was in really bad shape,' she says. Gastroenteritis is usually caused by an infection from food, but Tan thinks it's because she ate too much. Her mother filled the house with snacks and Tan scoffed them all down. Tan also feasted on meat and fish every day with her relatives.
So how can you deal with the syndrome?
Yu Jinlong, of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, suggests office workers gradually return to their daily routine after vacations.