Communicate Boundaries at Work During the Holiday Season

This is your reminder that you have 12 holiday events to attend this weekend, you need to get gifts and cards for your kids teachers, don’t forget about the White Elephant and Secret Santa gifts that need to be wrapped, move the Elf (if you partake), and… oh yeah… make sure you’re staying on top of every meeting, email, and project that needs to be done before the end of the year. 

Stressed? Overwhelmed? Yes - me too. 

As I told ESSENCE, this time last year, “with 66% of employees reporting additional stress at work during the holidays, it’s critical to prioritize and communicate boundaries at work this season, especially for women who are at greater risk of burnout”

When burnout is at an all time high and we are all crawling to the finish line to (hopefully) enjoy some well deserved holiday PTO, it’s necessary to be able to prioritize and communicate boundaries during the busiest time of year. 

Everyone is trying to meet deadlines, hit quotas, close out projects, and plan for the upcoming year. And I know, I know, this is easier said than done but as we enter into the holiday season, please do your best to take care of yourself first. Work will always be there and it will always be demanding. But I'm here to encourage you to set boundaries, say no, and take your well deserved time off even if it’s the busiest time of year. 

Here’s how you can successfully communicate boundaries in your professional life without all the backlash - 

1.Remember time is your most valuable asset

You will never get this time in your life back again. But work? That’ll be there the minute you get back. Always. Remind yourself of this fleeting reminder whenever you are about to ask for time off.

2. Manage expectations around your workload

When you need to set a boundary around saying NO to additional work before year end, try saying this:

“Hey xx, I recognize this is a need for the business at this time. I’m currently working on wrapping up ABC before the end of the year. With a tight timeline, and only a couple weeks left in 2024, do I need to re-prioritize what I’m working on? I can’t take on any new work, but I can shift focus if needed.”

3. Explicitly communicate expectations around time off

Understand what time off means to you and your organization. Does your employer expect you to be on call? To be responding to emails? Are you able to fully disconnect? Can you leave your phone/computer at home? What about email on your mobile? These are all essential questions to ask yourself (and your management team) to ensure expectations are clear and consistent. When you need to communicate expectations around time off, try this,

“Hey team, with the busiest time of year around the corner and recognizing the holiday season is upon us, the goal of this email is to ensure expectations around time off and work-related projects are communicated.

- Expectation #1

- Expectation #2

- Expectation #3

Questions? Here to help!”

4.Lead by example

If you are scheduled to take time off yourself, do NOT respond to emails, slacks, or meeting requests. If you are always available, even while out of the office, it sets the tone and standard for others to always be available. This is true for both managers and individual contributors. This WILL result in a lack of trust and higher levels of burnout.

The expectations, tasks, and busyness of the holiday season can be overwhelming but it doesn’t mean you should sacrifice finding the joy in it. Start communicating some simple, yet powerful boundaries at work so you can alleviate some of the manufactured stress December brings.