The holidays are meant to be the most cheerful time of the year, but in the office, staying cheerful isn’t always so easy—especially now. A 2023 poll from Monster shares statistics that suggest holiday burnout is a very prevalent issue.
Monster’s poll reveals that “61% of workers are negatively impacted during the holiday season” and “44% feel more stressed than usual.” What makes matters worse is that a whopping 65% of workers admitted to working during their days off. The reasons varied between time-sensitive projects and if their manager or team members requested extra support.
While it’s important to ensure that specific deliverables are completed before the end of the year, allowing for high levels of stress around the holidays can not only lead to burnout but also extra levels of resentment toward the company. If employees grow frustrated with the company due to extra work time during the holidays, they can start engaging less or even leave the business altogether.
For those in HR, it’s crucial to ensure that team leads are aware of the holiday burnout phenomenon and are equipped with the strategies to mitigate it.
Flexible Holiday Schedules
Did you know that only 17% of workers are allowed more flexibility to work remotely during the holidays?
The holiday season is already a stressful time due to personal obligations, so adding the extra requirement to commute to the office is an added stressor. During this demanding time, it would be beneficial to promote a work-life balance that can offer remote work options, adjusted office hours, and sometimes even strategic time-off policies.
Strategic time-off policies can include Blackout periods, which are times of strategic PTO days that allow workers to rest after experiencing peak business periods. Rolling holiday schedules are another option as teams can stagger their shifts so that employees can take turns having time off.
By offering flexible holiday scheduling, HR professionals can help ease the end-of-year pressure.
Avoid Overwhelm
The nature of the end of the year brings extra deadlines for the company, which can be overwhelming for employees on top of the holidays. Some companies may also experience employees taking more time off than usual, which then puts extra pressure on the remaining employees to cover that employee’s work.
To ensure that no one employee is overloaded with assignments at the end of the year, conduct holiday workload audits. These audits can be completed by:
- Reviewing project deadlines
- Discussing workloads in one-on-ones
- Visualizing workload in digital project management tools
After determining the workload, identify which tasks are absolutely critical, and which ones can wait until more employees are available. Once the most crucial tasks are identified, redistribute the work in a way that is balanced across teams and skill sets to ensure no one person is overwhelmed with more work than they can handle.
Anonymous Holiday Concerns
The holiday season may bring up concerns that might not be outright visible to the company, especially when some issues may be specific to certain teams. To ensure that all critical matters for the holiday season are addressed, allow for anonymous concerns to be submitted.
Anonymity can be optional, but it helps employees feel safe about sharing their worries without judgment, so it encourages more honesty.
After gathering the data, analyze the responses for any theme or critical issue that needs addressing. Build a response plan for each and communicate to workers that actions are being taken clearly and promptly, showing how their feedback directly led to improvements. This not only resolves holiday-specific issues but also builds trust and a supportive work culture.
Stress-Free Holidays
Addressing holiday burnout is essential for maintaining a motivated and engaged workforce during the busiest time of the year. Taking these proactive steps not only reduces burnout and resentment but also fosters a positive company culture that encourages loyalty and long-term engagement.
