Yesterday was the most unproductive day of the year, according to a survey, as workers' morale is hit by the darker evenings brought on by the clock change.

    Researchers found productivity will drop by 50 per cent this week as depressed staff around the country struggle to come to terms with the dark nights closing in.

    A staggering 52 per cent of workers admitted they struggled to get to grips with their work-load on Monday.

    And 14 per cent said last year's slump was so bad that they were spoken to by their boss about it.

    Worryingly for employers, eight per cent even admitted to phoning in sick because they were so depressed at the thought of going to work amid the shorter, darker days.

    The stats emerged in a study of 2,000 workers by Promotur, The Canary Island tourism board.

    On Sunday, Dr. Christian Jessen of Channel 4's Embarrassing Illnesses, said: "The Winter Blues are no joke.

    "They can affect your work performance by making you unable to concentrate and carry out your normal routine, your relationship by affecting your libido and your social life by making you feel irritable and anti-social.

    "Feeling low as the nights draw in and the days get shorter is something many people experience, but some will struggle with lack of motivation, tiredness and depression.

    "If you find the winter months tough, particularly during December and January you may suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, which causes a low mood caused by the lack of light during winter.

    "It's thought to affect two million people in the UK and the best treatment is to get more light.

    "If these all ring bells then you may be a sufferer and should consider ways you can get more light into your life over winter."

    一項調查表明，昨天（10月26日）是這一年中人們工作效率最低的一天，由于本周冬令時開始，黑夜變長，人們的工作積極性也受到了打擊。

    調查人員發現，本周人們的工作效率將會下降50%,因為全國郁悶的"上班族"們正努力適應黑夜的"來襲".

    多達52%的員工承認昨天他們只是勉強應付了工作。

    14%的受訪者稱去年的經濟衰退程度之深，以至于老板還專門找他們討論了這一問題。

    讓雇主們擔憂的是，8%的受訪職員甚至坦言自己謊稱生病請了假，因為他們一想到在白天變短、黑夜變長的日子里還要工作就感到郁悶。

    這些數據來自加納利群島分管旅游的Promotur機構對兩千名職員開展的一項調查。

    在上周日（BBC）第四頻道的節目《讓人困窘的疾病》中，克里斯蒂安？杰森醫生說："冬季抑郁可不是鬧著玩的。

    "冬季抑郁會讓人無法集中精力，完成日常工作，從而影響你的工作表現；它會影響性欲，從而影響你和伴侶之間的關系；此外，它還會讓人感到焦躁易怒和厭惡社交，從而影響你的社會交際。

    "很多人在黑夜變長、白天變短的冬季都會感到心情低落，但有些人則會感到缺乏動力、疲倦和抑郁。

    "如果你覺得冬天很難熬，特別是在十二月和一月份，那么你可能患上了'季節性情緒失調',這是由于冬日里缺少陽光而引起的情緒低落。

    "有說法稱，英國有兩百萬人患有這種季節性的情緒失調，而最好的治療方法就是多接觸陽光。

    "如果你有以上這些癥狀，那么你可能患上了季節性情緒失調，那就應該考慮一下如何在冬季讓自己的生活多一些陽光了。"