Australia (Commonwealth Union) – Targets, deadlines and scrambling to complete that last task which simply never ends, are some of the few tense moments most people face as they rush to prepare for the end of year season. This is a common occurrence across the world during the end of the year in December which is quite similar to the traditional New Year in April, one which is common across many parts of Asia.
For most residents of Australia, the seasonal festivals such as Christmas, together with the Gregorian and Orthodox New Years, Hanukkah and Lunar New Year later in January line up generally with regular stunning summer weather. A rest period is essential for unwinding, recharging, gaining new inspirations and experiences, and taking time out with our friends and family and engaging in other activities that contribute to the overall wellness. Corporations generally request employees to take annual leave during this period. However, when it comes to marking the holidays, at times it may feel like time is both speeding up and slowing for extra work that needs to be done to ‘cover’ the fact you are going on annual leave.
Dr Andrew Dhaenens, who lecturers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Business School’s School of Management and Governance, stated that this can sometimes be due to an individual’s drive to complete tasks as the end of the year approaches to celebrate the achievement. “End-of-year celebrations and similar rituals are reflective of that. In short, being able to shake off the events you would like to leave behind and celebrate what you have done well as a team,” said Dr Dhaenens. “When workplaces have positive cultures, everyone understands the rhythms of the business and shares in the celebrations and challenges together.”
The failure to complete the tasks, complete the Christmas shopping, will most certainly mean that that the tension will rise. Feeling ‘exhausted, and the failure to concentrate and desire to withdraw and shutoff from the world and those around you’, may indicate an individual facing a burnout.
Dr Dhaenens, indicated that a holiday away from work is a valuable time to practice personal care, the lead-up can trigger people to undergo feelings of burnout. He also stated that this is partially as a result of people naturally compartmentalizing identities between ‘work’ and ‘life’, also indicating that the rush we engage in prior to the holidays is our way of ensuring that we have the space to disconnect and recharge. “People spend time on holidays working on their mental health with rest, relaxation, and reflection alongside their hobbies and travels, and they don’t want any leftover work to interfere with this,” he said.
Dr Dhaenens emphasized that the regular pace of work can match up with the pace of the industry an individual has selected to engage in, also stating that the reason these rushes is a result of the nature of our work according to the industry.
For tackling holiday burnouts Dr Andrew Dhaenens indicated that when it comes to resolving the problem of feeling hacked out as the season approaches is certainly an issue to be resolved by employees as well as managers collaborating to identify clear goals and define end-of-year deadlines. Quite often companies and individuals fail to plan and make unrealistic targets, which is common across the globe, often leading to overpromising and under delivering. Several studies have indicated burnouts being a severe health hazard that can lead to detrimental heart conditions such as high blood pressure and strokes.
“While there has been lots of discussion around flexibility in workplaces, this can reflect a real issue as people work in different places at different times,” said Dr Dhaenens.
