How to support employees through a real holiday break reset
For many workers, it feels near impossible to truly log off and take advantage of extended breaks from work. In fact, 40% of workers expect they’ll be working between Christmas and New Years, according to a report from SurveyMonkey including responses from over 1,000 U.S. workers.
That’s in part because over 60% of workers said they dread the backlog awaiting them when they return from PTO, according to a report from Harris Poll which included responses from over 1,000 U..S workers conducted earlier this year.
And after a year of constant change in the workplace, an opportunity to truly unplug is needed, and HR professionals and managers have a strong influence in making staff feel comfortable taking a true break.
“You want to make sure that they trust they can go and actually check out,” said Shawnee Irmen-De Anda, chief people officer at Thriveworks.
Here are some tips for managers and HR professionals to better support employees through the break and allow them to truly reset:
Set clear expectations
Employees may often feel unaware of what exactly is expected of them on extended company-wide days off. Accordingly, managers need to provide clarity around the fact that it is a break, and reiterate that they shouldn’t be working and only reachable in case of a work-related emergency. If they do need to be online on certain days, employers should offer flexible, abbreviated scheduling.
Wrap things up
Unfinished business is one key reason staff feel obligated to work during breaks. That’s why it’s important for managers to ensure staff are able to wrap up projects and tasks so they don’t linger into the new year, and they can come back with a clear head and a clean slate. In the days leading up to break managers can encourage staff to use their remaining time to complete any remaining administrative tasks and start preparing for when they’ll return.
“Maybe it’s a focus week where people may not be able to go totally off the grid, but at least having strict focus hours that will keep them from checking email, phone and messages like Slack throughout the day and just being able to get really concentrated work done, that can feel more energizing in planning for 2025,” said Sabrina Banadyga, vp of marketing at browser company Shift.
Solidify return plans
Managers should also set expectations for staff about return plans. Returning from a long break without a plan can feel overwhelming, leading workers to spend time during break preparing themselves to come back. Beyond wrapping things up, it’s also crucial for employees to do some future planning, and managers should allow them time to do so.
Prompt staff to set clear ‘away’ messages
It’s important for staff to have boundaries about their reachability, and for managers to promote that. Oftentimes OOO messages might include that someone is off but intermittently reachable. Instead, they should clearly explain that they are unavailable for the duration of the holiday break, and in case of emergency, they can reach another contact provided.
Lead by example
It can be particularly difficult for HR and other leaders to truly log off and rest themselves, but they need to model it so staff feel comfortable unplugging.
“We want to take care of our people and be available for people. But I think we owe it to ourselves as well to check out,” Irmen-De Anda said. “And not just ourselves, but our families, and our health, mentally and physically, all of it is jeopardized if we’re always on for work.
“If you are on vacation and you are chatting or texting or emailing or working, period, your team’s going to feel like that’s the expectation,” she said.
If leaders feel they must do some work over the break, they should still avoid contact with staff. In a recent meeting with leaders, Irmen-De Anda encouraged them to schedule emails to go out delayed and arrive in inboxes once the break is over. “You can delay some of those messages so that people don’t feel like they’re being bombarded while they’re on vacation,” she said.