Sir Cary Cooper at Private Rehab Clinic, Delamere, provides his top tips to help you avoid festive work burnout this Christmas.
While Christmas typically offers a brief break from work, whether that is a day off spent with family and friends or a much-needed holiday, the period leading up to the festive holiday can intensify burnout as workers juggle end-of-year responsibilities.
The busy build-up to Christmas is not always a fun and enjoyable time for everyone, as it can, in fact, be a stressful time.
Tackle your to-do list
For those that work full time, the chances are you have a long list of life admin that is patiently waiting in the corner for you until you have time to look at it.
Annual leave can be the perfect time to tackle your to-do list that has been piling up, so start with the things that are the most important and have been sitting for a few more weeks than you like.
Not only will you feel like you have checked off a few things you have been meaning to do, but you will also be able to distract yourself from work.
Draw a line under anything you have been working on
Sometimes the best way to forget about work in your personal time is to draw a line under anything you have been working on.
This means not leaving any pieces of work half-finished and making sure you are on top of your inbox before you clock off.
Having everything boxed off will not only reduce anxiety while you are trying to relax but will also mean you come back to work feeling like it is manageable.
Set up an out of office
An easy way to switch off from work is to set up an out-of-office on your email address.
This will let managers and anybody who usually tries to contact you know that you will be checking your inbox while on annual leave or late into the evening.
Once this is set up, assure yourself that people will see your out of the office and stick to it so you do not feel that you need to keep checking your emails.
Manage expectations
If you are planning on taking annual leave, then it is important that you manage the expectations of your managers, clients and staff by telling them as early as possible when you intend to be out of the office.
To fully switch off, it is also important that you manage the expectations of your family and friends as well as work colleagues that might contribute to your work life.
If you find it difficult to take time away from your job, remind loved ones that you are trying to relax and any talk of work might make you stressed.
Switch off all notifications
If you have notifications going to your phone consistently throughout the day, including work emails, Slack or Microsoft Teams, make sure to switch the pop-ups off while you are taking a much-needed break.
Having the temptation to check emails constantly while you are off, makes it harder to fully disconnect from your work life when you are trying to catch up with friends and family.
If switching off notifications does not work for you, it might be an idea to delete any work-related apps to stop you from checking in on what is going on while you are off.
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