ANNUAL holidays are no longer eagerly anticipated, as office workers complain they have to work up to 50 extra hours in the weeks before and after they go.

According to research by the Office Angels secretarial and office recruitment agency, workers who go on holiday have to deal with additional stress and even resentment from the colleagues who are left behind.

The research shows that many workers feel they are no longer getting real benefit from their holiday time. It discovered that:

Eight out of 10 people work, on average, 25 extra hours before and after their holiday to keep up with their workload.

A third claim that the last few days prior to a holiday are among the most stressful they experience all year at work.

Two-thirds take up to three days of their holiday to wind down.

86 per cent say their post-holiday glow disappears after two days back in the office.

Paul Jacobs, the managing director of Office Angels said: "The importance of having a break from work should not be underestimated it boosts productivity and well-being."

New technology has not helped, with mobile phones and pocket PCs allowing employees to be contacted anywhere in the world. In fact, 75 per cent of workers said they had been contacted by their boss while on holiday.