As we head into the festive season, many people are looking forward to some much-needed time off. Yet for a growing number of employees, the Christmas break doesn’t actually feel like a break at all.
Working on holiday has quietly become a workplace norm, one that comes at a real cost. Burnout, presenteeism, poor sleep and low engagement don’t disappear just because we’ve logged off for a few days. In fact, according to the Breathe HR Holiday Burnout Report 2024, 81% of UK employees say they feel “burnout, exhaustion or poor mental health when they haven’t taken time off in several months.”
And here’s the catch: working while on leave is essentially the same as not taking a break.
Gallup’s 2025 Global Workplace Report shows global engagement has now dropped to 21%, with 17% of workers actively disengaged, levels not seen since the pandemic. Rest isn’t just nice to have; it’s part of how we keep people energised, connected and performing well.
Meanwhile, a recent London Daily News report found that 51% of professionals check work emails while on holiday, mostly to avoid a backlog. And Personnel Today revealed that nearly half of UK employees didn’t take a single full week off in the past year.
That’s not resilience. That’s a red flag.
Why is switching off so hard, especially at Christmas?
For many people, the festive break brings its own pressures: year-end deadlines, stretched teams, financial worries, family expectations and workplace cultures where being “always available” is still quietly rewarded.
And then there’s the personal side – the guilt, the worry, the sense that everything might pile up without us. But none of this helps us recharge. It simply keeps us stuck in a cycle of stress and fatigue.
Whatever happened to a proper shutdown?
There was a time, not too long ago, when workplaces genuinely paused.
My dad worked in textiles and recalls the factory closing for two full weeks over Christmas. No emails. No backlog. Just rest.
It might feel impossible now with increased demand, tight budgets and constant digital pressure, but some companies do still make space for collective rest. Adobe and TED shut down twice a year. Many Northern European organisations embrace proper seasonal breaks. And they thrive.
Rest isn’t the enemy of performance – it fuels it.
So how can we wind down properly?
Experts say most people need around 10–14 days to properly decompress, especially after a demanding year. And if you absolutely must check in, try this:
If you’re checking in…
- Commit — Once a day max. No mixed signals with out-of-office replies.
- Schedule — Set a time, handle essentials only.
- Communicate clearly — Keep replies short and avoid back-and-forth.
Better still — plan ahead:
- Delegate key tasks
- Set a clear out-of-office
- Log out of work systems
- Mute chat groups
- Use inbox filters
- Block “re-entry time” post-holiday
- Agree boundaries with your team before you finish
Small boundaries make a big difference.
Why switching off matters as we move into 2026
As we close out 2025, one trend is clear: people are tired. Gallup’s latest data shows that employees who feel they are thriving experience significantly less daily stress, yet globally, only 33% say they’re thriving.
If people finish December exhausted, still plugged into work, still checking emails on “holiday” and still carrying the mental load of the year behind them, they’re not starting 2026 re-energised. They’re starting it already depleted.
And with rising expectations, constant change and continued pressure on teams, wellbeing can’t be an afterthought.
Encouraging people to genuinely switch off isn’t just a seasonal gesture,
it’s an investment in performance, resilience and retention in the year ahead.
Technology blurs boundaries more than ever, but rest remains essential.
So this festive season, give yourself permission to truly switch off.
A rested mind returns stronger, clearer and more resilient.
Wishing you a peaceful, restorative break – you’ve earned it.
