Research finds employees at risk of ‘festive burnout’
Three-quarters of the British workforce will be hit by ill-health over the Christmas break, a poll of 2,000 employees has revealed.
The research, by AXA PPP healthcare, found that of this proportion 28 per cent said being sick during their Christmas holiday was a regular occurrence.
Survey responses suggested that pre-festive season burnout may be the reason behind such high levels of ill-health, at a time when employees are supposed to be recharging their batteries. Sixty-nine per cent of employees’ workloads increased in the run up to Christmas, while overall, the amount of work people were expected to complete increased by an average of 30 per cent in the countdown to Christmas, as everyone rushed to meet pre-holiday goals.
A large proportion of employees, 68 per cent, reported that they think about work during their Christmas break, while 21 per cent check work calls and emails several times a day over the holiday.
The stress and exhaustion prompted by the festive countdown and holiday period is so serious that 26 per cent of employees wished they could miss out Christmas entirely, the research showed. And two-fifths of the workforce actually return to work after the break feeling relieved to be back, shattered from the holiday season or worried about their heavy workload.
“For many employees Christmas is full of stress and pressure and the chance to recharge their batteries is overshadowed by exhaustion and illness,” said Dr Mark Winwood, AXA PPP healthcare’s director of psychological services.
“Prior to the holidays, employers need to take precautionary steps to ensure that their employees get through this hectic period and come back firing on all cylinders in January.”
However, he said that “a few simple steps” can make the difference, for example encouraging employees to make small lifestyle changes to help them avoid the downsides of the festive frenzy that grips offices in the run up to Christmas.
Three steps to avoiding a workforce ‘sickmas’:
1. Remind employees about the support services available
Employees forget about all of the benefits available to them, so use the high pressure festive season as an opportunity to remind them about any helplines or employee assistance programmes available through their benefit scheme.
2. Prioritise
Urge employees and managers to be realistic about what can and can’t be achieved before leaving for the Christmas break. Encourage employees to re-evaluate priorities so that they can focus on time-sensitive work that requires their attention.
3. Ensure business continuity
However small or large a team, it’s a good idea to share a work and holiday schedule and a pre-agreed rota identifying who is the main ‘out of hours’ contact. This will enable those who have booked days off to relax fully, safe in the knowledge that work will be picked up by those ‘on rota’ or those who choose not to take time off.