The most guilt-ridden, nightmare time of year’: how to avoid holiday season burnout at work
Occupational burnout is not ‘just’ fatigue: emotional and physical exhaustion, irritability, a lack of concentration, anxiety, insomnia and depression can also play a part—all of which are exacerbated during the cold, dark winter months.
In retail, as high as 43% of workers are at risk around the holidays, typically due to increased demand, longer hours and larger crowds of shoppers that flock around Christmas and Black Friday sales.
When employees are unwell, your business will pay the price: burnout causes work absences, lateness, a drop in productivity, a decrease in the overall standard of work and, in some cases, a high staff turnover.
Here are some tips to avoid burnout while working during the holiday season;
Know your non-negotiables
Quiet time in the morning with a cup of coffee, at least one hour spent reading and some kind of exercise. She stresses the importance of establishing your “non-negotiables” ahead of the holiday season: “the routines or activities that keep you sane,” as she describes them.
If you’re working from home and it’s still hard to step away from the computer, “If you frame the conversation as something you need to do in order to better support your team and stay engaged with your work, it will really help both you and your manager,” he says. “You can tell them, ‘Hey, I’m looking at spending 30 minutes each morning or afternoon to disconnect, it will really help with my work.’”
Communicate plans clearly, and often
One of the biggest challenges of the holiday season is keeping track of everyone’s different vacation schedules. It can make meeting end-of-year deadlines and communication feel frustrating and even impossible at times. “It can be chaotic! You could be waiting for responses or help from multiple co-workers who are out of office at different times, so your to-do list feels like it’s always growing.
Setting clear goals for which work you have to finish before the end of the year and communicating that plan to your manager is another smart tactic to stay organized. Pacing yourself by focusing on the most urgent, high-priority projects first and checking in with your team to see if any tasks can wait until after the holidays.
Add a self-care ritual to your routine
Even after setting hard work-life boundaries and talking through your schedule with your manager, holiday burnout can creep up on you. “Not only is your laundry staring at you after a long day of work, but so is the box of decorations you need to put up, or that holiday shopping list.
Finding a daily ritual that helps you de-stress can help you stave off burnout. “Practicing this ritual helps me feel like I have a little more control over my schedule, and it gives me the peace and satisfaction of feeling like I’m making progress at work as I cross items off the list.
However you choose to recharge, just make sure self-care is a priority — not an afterthought. “It’s easy to put yourself on the back burner during stressful season.
Finally, one small initiative to boost morale is to ensure the season is being celebrated. Decorate the office, pool in for a ‘secret Santa’ gift exchange, host a staff awards ceremony or relax the dress code—anything to add a bit of fun to an otherwise stressful work period.
But ultimately, the key to avoiding employee burnout over the holidays is to listen to staff concerns and to promote a healthy work-life balance.
References:
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/24/how-to-avoid-holiday-season-burnout-at-work-according-to-experts.html