6 Tips to Help Reduce Employee Holiday Stress (Update)

Once December arrives, the holiday countdown is on! For some, 'tis the season for festivities and cheer. Others, however, find the holiday season stressful.

A low-stress holiday season is the best gift employers can give. At work, employees face end-of-year work deadlines and additional social functions. At home, they're expected to throw parties, give gifts, and host friends and family from out of town.

Rather than feeling light and merry, employees may be weighed down by stress. Workplace stress is a year-round issue, with 40% of workers reporting that their job was very or extremely stressful—and it gets worse during the holidays.

Note: This blog was originally published December 7, 2017. It has been updated for concision and clarity.

6 Ways to Reduce Holiday Stress in the Workplace

1. Manage Workload

The holiday season usually has fewer work days, so employees have less time to do their regular tasks. This crunch period is heightened for companies with an uptick in business during the holidays.

To avoid glitches, plan ahead and distribute your team's workload throughout the entire year. If you're ahead of schedule in December, you'll avoid a decline in productivity.

If your company is typically busy during the holidays, consider temporarily increasing your staffing. This will keep operations running smoothly and ensure employees don’t end up doing double duty.

2. Maintain Effective Communication

Amid the holiday bustle, it's especially crucial to maintain effective lines of communication. Let everyone know who will be taking time off (and when). Employees won't be caught off-guard and can coordinate to get things done.

Employers must remember to be clear about their own holiday schedules. If you take a vacation, make sure to delegate the management of holidays to a colleague.

3. Help Manage Financial Stress

To celebrate the holiday season, it's tempting to spend beyond one's limits. Christmas gifts, tropical vacations, and big family dinners can wallop everyone's wallets.

According to a PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report, Canadians will spend $1,593 each during the 2019 holidays, primarily on travel and gifts. PwC’s 2019 Employee Financial Wellness Survey of 1,600 full-time employed adults reports that 59% of employees are stressed about their finances.

Be proactive in helping your employees manage their finances. Suggest finance planning apps or offer a “Holiday Budgeting” workshop on responsible spending.

4. Look for Signals of Depression

While portrayed as the jolliest time of year, the holiday season can be a lonely time. For those who have lost loved ones or are facing troubles at home, the holidays can trigger grief or depression.

For some people, seasonal social events cause anxiety. Be aware of who might need alone time—and who might feel isolated. Facilitate open communication about mental health. Encourage employees to use counselling services through their employee assistance program (EAP).

Tip: Break the stigma surrounding mental health by having leaders share their own experiences with depression.

5. Discourage Unhealthy Holiday Eating

Gingerbread cookies and candy canes, eggnog and Champagne—the holiday season is teeming with temptation. At this time of year, it takes an ironclad will to stick to a healthy diet.

If you help employees make wise food choices, they can reduce the risk of serious illness, boost mood and energy, control stress and anxiety, and enjoy more social time. Eating well doesn’t need to be difficult and unappetizing. Entice employees with nutritious yet delicious snacks and cater meals from places that offer fresh, whole foods.

Tip: Organize a “Healthy Holidays” support group in which employees log what they eat and meet to compare notes. 

6. Encourage Work/Life Balance

In today's nonstop world, employees are often struggling to balance work and home demands. They're likely to be skimping on sleep, which leads to errors and irritability.

With additional holiday commitments, many are at their limit. Encourage employees to take vacation leave or at least a half-day Friday to do their holiday shopping.

Conclusion

The holiday season will always bring ups and downs. But smart employers can take straightforward steps to lighten employee stress.

Open communication is key to understanding where employees are at, and will help keep everyone on the same page. Helping employees manage their workloads, and focusing on their financial, physical, and emotional wellness will go a long way toward reducing stress.

The actions you take now will keep employees happy, and help sustain productivity into the New Year.