The oldies used to play solitaire at work. The young play GTA. The smart worker books holidays. Yes, a study has revealed that one in every four people has secretly booked a holiday while sitting in office! I just hope my boss doesn’t read this.

The study, separately commissioned by hotels.com and Holiday Lettings, has revealed some disturbing findings. With user-friendly travel websites that make it easy for you to browse through holiday packages and let you book the same online, booking a holiday has become as simple as checking your mail. Disturbing for bosses. Sheer delight for employees.

Picture this:

You come to office on a Monday, after a weekend spent doing laundry, buying groceries and haggling with the maid. You switch on your computer and curse the inventor. You log in to Facebook. The first thing that pops up on your wall is photos of your friend’s Europe trip. There! Look how pretty your friend looks standing by that tall bartender in the Spanish pub. Well, this is exactly when you desperately crave a holiday.

And then what do you do? You drool at the stunning pictures. You browse through travel websites, looking for that perfect getaway.

The study also attributes this trend to the good old spirit of envy. So your colleague just returned from a trip to Las Vegas. And he is all gaga about it. You listen with a constipated smile, and inwardly decide to book a holiday as soon as you return to your desk.

The research confirms the omnipresence of this widespread phenomenon. It also says that 12.01 pm on a Monday (there’s an ominous ring to it) is the time when the average British worker is most susceptible and is likely to book a holiday.

I can see all travel agency guys across the world rubbing their hands in glee. A tip for the agonized bosses: team up with the travel guys to gift holidays to your employees every once in a while. Now I wish my boss reads this.