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The tanking of employee productivity between Thanksgiving and the new year isn’t a new phenomenon. Yet, in many ways, this holiday season feels extra stressful thanks to inflation-induced high prices, workplace burnout that hasn’t lessened over the past two years, and, most recently, rising political tensions over the Israel-Hamas war.
“A lot is going on out there,” says Nicholette Leanza, a psychotherapist at LifeStance Health, who emphasizes that it’s common for clients to feel stressed during the holiday season.
“Because of the time of year, we’re seeing employees having to navigate all the stuff [with] families and holiday gatherings, and it’s adding to overall exhaustion.”
HR teams can dispense several efforts to support employees during the holidays, such as implementing policies that allow workers to unwind. For example, limiting after-hours communication or workloads for Jewish employees during Hanukkah.
The freelance marketplace TaskRabbit gives employees two separate “recharge” weeks off annually, one of which is between Christmas and New Year’s Day. The collective time off became the norm after employees reported feeling stressed from returning to a full workload while on vacation.
“These recharge weeks allow for the entire company to feel like, ‘I can actually walk away and trust that nobody else will be pinging me,’” says Jessica Davila, TaskRabbit’s vice president of people.
Employee assistance programs are of utmost importance during this period, and employers can encourage workers to use flexible spending accounts or employee discounts.
“Employers can highlight their wellness programs and discount perks, emphasizing that these resources can be used for holiday gifts and other expenses,” says Nicole Bufanio, a senior change management communications consultant at Mercer. “By turning wellness activities into gift cards or offering budgeting assistance, employers can streamline their employees’ budgets and provide tangible support.”
Paige McGlauflin
paige.mcglauflin@fortune.com
@paidion
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Watercooler
Everything you need to know from Fortune.
Landing the plane. Boeing is reversing its hybrid work policy and demanding that most employees return to the office five days a week. No deadline has been set for the move, but the company is reportedly targeting a post-holiday season return. —Chris Morris
Guilt trip. Employees report feeling guilty about taking paid time off last year, but the happiest workers took off an average of 15 days. —Alexa Mikhail
Under the microscope. Companies are employing more stringent employee evaluations to distinguish between high and low performers and prune poor employees who otherwise won’t quit. —Trey Williams
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