Chris Mills

It’s the most magical time of the year – but is the pressure to work at Christmas fueling a surge of burnout among workers in the UK?Research by Slack highlights that the majority (79%) of UK bosses say they will encourage their employees to switch off during the holiday season, but despite this instruction - a third (33%) of employees say they will be online and available to work during the holiday season - even when they have allocated time off.In fact, nearly 2 in 5 (35%) UK workers admit they will check in on work emails and calls on Christmas Eve this year, even though it falls on a Saturday. What’s more, nearly 1 in 5 (19%) plan to check their work messages on Boxing Day, and 1 in 10 (10%) will even do so on Christmas Day!The data indicates that employees are struggling to disconnect because of their own drive, according to 3 in 5 (56%) of those who say they are available to work (despite the time off). In fact, half (50%) of employees—compared to 45% of their bosses—worry that the pressure to be constantly available for work will lead to burnout.Technology could be the answer to managing the balance of expectations that many employees feel around working across the Christmas period. 70% of all office workers believe having a good digital infrastructure makes it easier to show managers, co-workers and customers that they’re on holiday, as over 3 in 5 (61%) agree it makes it easier to balance work and private life. Over half of workers (58%) plan to switch their notifications off for the entire Christmas period. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.