Don't get me wrong (I'm not a native english speaker), but this is a fake problem! If not too crowded, holidays are bubbles of air. Yes, it's frustrating when your partner from let's say Paris is in holiday, but when he's back this partner is a little bit relaxed and a little bit motivated to help you. I prefer a man returned from holiday instead a bored worker who counts the remaining days 'till his vacation. I prefer to be the first customer instead to be the ******1st. A day of relaxing is not enough to clear the work-related thoughts from the employee's mind. In my country (Romania) there are few holidays. But the productivity is low. Sweden has a lot of holidays and it's productivity is high. So.... Holidays and productivity are not necessary realted.