Half of people will check work emails over Christmas

More than half of workers will check their emails over the festive period, according to a new survey.

The survey by the HR consultancy Lee Hecht Harrison Penna found that a third (29%) of workers will even check emails on Christmas Day itself, and 52% will look at them at some point over the holidays.

Almost a quarter (23%) of respondents said they will check them to lessen their workload upon return in January, while a similar number (22%) said it is because they have work to finish.

While one in five (20%) said they check their emails over the festive season because they love their love and enjoy staying in the loop.

But 38% of woman said they definitely won’t be checking their work inbox over the holidays, compared to 31% of men.

“The Christmas holidays should be a time for rest and relaxation, so it is concerning that many workers will be logging into their emails over Christmas,” said UK and Ireland CEO, JC Townend.

Leaders’ responsibility

“Leaders should ensure their employees understand the importance of logging off mentally as well as physically. Excessive working means employees risk burn out, stress and exhaustion and won’t return to work in January feeling energised.

“Not only does this have a detrimental impact on workers themselves, but it affects the business on a wider level,” added Mr Townend.

“Even for those who love their job, overworking means they won’t produce high quality work, come up with new ideas and approach their role with a fresh perspective. Before Brits head off on the Christmas break, leaders should remind them it is time for them to relax, unwind and come back to work in January feeling refreshed.

Tips

Lee Hecht Harrison Penna has offered these top tips to workers to help leave work at work:

• Take a long-term perspective on your to do list– Work out which actions will make the biggest impact on getting 2019 off to the right start and prioritise those.
• Create a cut off– Be realistic about what you can achieve in 2018. Working at maximum capacity until the final hour is likely to mean you won’t be delivering at you prime so don’t be afraid to schedule some deadlines in January.
• Make sure your covered – Planning in advance with your team/colleagues to have a rota system for monitoring incoming requests over the holiday period and an emergency contact list means that no one will be left holding the fort and feeling the pull of their inbox.
• Start your stop clock – If you absolutely cannot resist checking in, allow yourself a time slot and stick to it.
• Taking stock– If you can’t stop yourself from thinking about the office over Christmas use the opportunity to be mindful wisely. Take the time to reflect on your career big picture of 2018 and consider how to reframe it for greater success in the year ahead.

What makes us susceptible to burnout?

In this episode  of the Safety & Health Podcast, ‘Burnout, stress and being human’, Heather Beach is joined by Stacy Thomson to discuss burnout, perfectionism and how to deal with burnout as an individual, as management and as an organisation.

We provide an insight on how to tackle burnout and why mental health is such a taboo subject, particularly in the workplace.

Listen now!