Burnout is a real and rising issue for many employees and managers especially since the onset of the pandemic. As much as it is important to work, taking time off is equally as important. Over the festive holiday period, it is important for both you and those that you are responsible for to take adequate time off work. This includes not checking emails, not worrying about January deadlines and having some real-time for your friends and family.

Several employees feel that if they take time off from their job, their performance is at stake. Many of us have feelings of guilt for taking time off work, but we should not. We should be doing our best to change this mentality.

It is the prerogative of you the employer to find ways to help your employees take their minds off from work and to rest and re-energise.

For your employees to work effectively they need to know that you have their interests at heart. Effective employee communication is key to a successful business and so too is providing your employees with time off and a real break from work.

So, what can you do to empower your employees to take time off, especially during the upcoming Christmas season?

Here are some tips for empowering your employees to take time off:

• Publish Corporate Holiday Schedules Ahead of Time

Publishing the exact holiday dates for Christmas and other yearly holidays will allow your employees to make plans. For example, they can book tickets to see their families or plan their much-awaited vacation. It will also help them adjust their deadline accordingly so that they can finish their work ahead of time.

• Create A Memo that Work Calls During Holidays and Day offs Should Only Be for Emergencies

There are employees who find it difficult to check out from work fully. As a result, they answer work calls even when it is way past over time. There are even some who work even on what is their free time.

Doing this, especially during the Christmas season, can significantly affect their personal life. It might also affect their relationship with their friends and family because it would seem like they care more about work than spending quality time with them.

If this continuously happens, the chances are your employees are going to be unhappy and dissatisfied. There is a chance for these negative emotions to affect their work productivity, so to mitigate the risk of it happening, make it a company policy only to call those off work during emergencies.

• Make it Mandatory for Employees to Take Annual Leave

Your employees might not realise that they need time off work. This is why if they still have remaining annual leave to take and the year is about to end, it would be helpful to encourage them to take it as an employer. This way, you are giving them time to relax.

• Advise Your Staff About Communication Protocols Over the Holiday Period

Advise your managers and other employees about communicating procedures over the holiday period. Have a set criterion for emergencies and the correct contact points. This will ensure that only those in need are contacted and only contacted at the right time.

• Create Incentives for Your Employees to Spend Time with Their Family

For those who struggle to switch off, using incentives may be necessary. This may involve staff sending in family pictures or letting staff know of their holiday plans. This can provide motivation and incentives to other members of staff that Christmas is a time not to be online or WFH.

• Give Notice for Necessary Project Completion

If deadliness must be met before Christmas have plans in place to ensure that these goals are met. Leaving unfinished projects over the Christmas period will only lead to stress and pressure on your employees over the holidays.

I am sure many would proffer a few hours of overtime rather than the added pressure of thinking about uncompleted projects over the Christmas period.

• If Projects are Not Necessary, then Schedule Work after Christmas

For projects that are not vital then schedule these for after Christmas. Putting pressure on employees to finish tasks that are not time-sensitive adds additional pressure to you and your workforce when it is not necessary.

Ensure you communicate this to your managers to ensure that your entire workforce knows what needs to be done and what can wait until after you have the holidays.

Final Words

Working hard is important, but employees also need to take some time off for their well-being. As an employer, it is something that you need to prioritise because happy employees mean more productive employees.

At Platinum Brand Communications, we dedicate ourselves to developing strategies and communication channels that benefit businesses. If you are struggling to take time off work or feel your staff are under pressure, contact us today as we are here to help businesses perform to the best of their abilities.