In its survey of 1,800 finance and HR professionals across 11 countries, the recruitment firm discovered that just 45 per cent of workers indicated they were productive every day of the week. Thursday (four per cent) just led Friday (five per cent) as the least productive day, whilst – perhaps a touch surprisingly – Monday (18 per cent) was cited as the most productive day.

As for the individual nationalities polled, Italians seem to suffer most from post-holiday hangovers, with 59 per cent taking at least two days to recover after a break. Almost three-quarters (73 per cent) of those from Luxembourg, by way of contrast, stated that they’re usually back up and running straight away.

And the Italians were also the most eager for a siesta, with a staggering 39 per cent (against an overall average 25 per cent) declaring that they would be more productive after a quick afternoon sleep. Just 20 per cent of UK workers felt the same.