New research suggests that Australian workers feel pressured to work during the Christmas break.
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A study of more than 2,000 Australian office workers by Slack and YouGov found that despite 84 per cent of managers encouraging employees to switch off during the Christmas period, 79 per cent expect workers to be available over the holidays.
Last Christmas, despite being off, more than half of Aussie employees were contacted by their manager, a colleague or a customer.
Experts say having a break over the holiday season is necessary to ensure work life balance and promote health and wellbeing.
Lecturer at UNSW's school of management and governance Dr Andrew Dhaenens said the end of year rush before Christmas could result in "holiday burnout".
"People try to rush and get as much accomplished so they can have time and space away for the holidays," he said.
The Black Dog Institute defines burnout as a form of emotional exhaustion that can occur in response to persistent and unrelenting stress.
"Holidays are so important for enhancing our wellbeing, getting new inspirations and trying new experiences," Dr Dhaenens said.
"So when we have holidays it gives us time to unpack, it opens up a conversation to celebrate and reflect on the year you've had with your team, supervisor and peers, having that time is really important for workplace culture."
The research found that 73 per cent of Aussie colleagues are encouraging coworkers to switch off during the holidays as 56 per cent are worried that the pressure of being constantly available could lead to burnout.
Dr Dhaenens said the perception that your manager supports you and supports your wellbeing is key to employees enjoying work and preventing burnout.
"Your supervisors should know about your life, what's going on outside of work, and just taking simple steps to talk about that and celebrate those things is indicative of a positive culture," he said.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Globally, concerns around employee burnout has sparked interest in the four day work week model. The radical rethink to the standard five day work week was trialed across several different types of businesses in the UK, with employees working 80 percent of their regular hours for 100 percent of their pay.
Feedback from both employees and companies was overwhelmingly positive as people felt they were more productive and less stressed, and some businesses had improved financial performance.
Dr Dhaenens said the four day work week was not a silver bullet that would solve all problems in the workplace.
"It's about making our workplaces flexible, like scheduling meetings at the middle or core parts of your day, because we know work life conflict most often towards the beginning of the day for most people and towards the end of the day for others," he said.
