9 Ways Companies Can Help Employees De-Stress During The Holidays

Businesses can do a lot to help mitigate employee stress and boost well-being during the holiday … [+] season.

getty

The holiday season is here, and while it’s an exciting time for many employees, it can be a stressful time for others. It’s important that employers recognize signs of depression and anxiety among their workforce, which can be exacerbated by holiday stress and work demands.

According to Dan Rome, chief medical officer at Enthea, stress symptoms include increased social withdrawal, changes in sleep and appetite, persistent feelings of sadness or worry and a loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities. Rome told me by email that open communication with loved ones can help, but it’s also important that companies are on the lookout for signs among their employees.

How Employers Can Identify Stress-Related Symptoms

Studies show that people with a mental health condition like depression or anxiety experience a worsening of their symptoms during the holiday season. The average employer is not equipped to differentiate between normal seasonal mood fluctuations and more serious mental health problems that involve more duration, intensity and impact of symptoms, Rome explains, adding as an example, “Seasonal mood changes are generally mild and short-lived, while a mental health disorder such as seasonal affective disorder involves more persistent and severe symptoms.”

I also spoke to Dr. Reid Robison, chief clinical officer at Numinus. He shared a mnemonic device that he learned in medical school to identify symptoms of a major depressive disorder. “SIGECAPS: S is for sleep changes, I for interest loss, G for guilt (excessive guilt, or feelings of worthlessness), C for concentration difficulties, A for appetite loss, P for psychomotor agitation or slowing and S for suicidal thoughts. “If five or more of these symptoms are present for at least two weeks and the symptoms are interfering with life, we call it a major depressive episode,” he points out. When compounded with holiday stress and anxiety, Robison insists that these conditions can be even more challenging to manage.

9 Ways Organizations Can Support Employees

On November 1, 2023, Workhuman released data revealing that publicly recognizing one another this time of year reduces workplace stress. According to the survey, nearly 70% of people said that receiving public appreciation from colleagues at the end of the year reduces their potential stress around meeting year-end goals. The study concluded that leaders have a responsibility to create a space for these interactions—and that goes well beyond the traditional holiday party. The survey shows that 75.9% of workers say there is a greater sense of gratitude and camaraderie in the workplace this time of year, and leaders can capitalize on this trend to make recognition and appreciation a permanent part of their company’s employee well-being culture.

Luck Dookchitra, vice president of people at Leapsome, agrees that recognition is key. She told me that it’s important for employers to remember to help employees recognize all their great work and successes throughout the year to personally give them a sense of pride and progress, adding, “Employers and managers can help employees by ruthlessly prioritizing only a few urgent matters to allow them space and time to wind down their year in a manner that can help them feel empowered and productive,” she states. “Allow teams time to connect on a human/team level, too, while being aware that different people have different needs and may have different traditions and celebrations. Reduce the number of meetings while doubling down on camaraderie and connection. Delight your teams, where possible, with thoughtful praise, genuine thank you’s, and even some extra time off—just because.”

In addition to those recommendations, best-selling author and registered dietitian Nichole Andrews shared with me nine other ways companies can support their workforce during the holidays.

Don’t assume you know your team member’s preferences. If you need coverage for a holiday period, ask for volunteers. There may be some employees who want to work during that time and take alternative days off when it’s more convenient for them.
Reiterate benefits like the EAP, flexible work schedules and remote work to remind employees of the tools already in place to support them.
Allow team members to take time off before or after the holidays if needed. Some companies have traditionally had policies that only pay holiday pay if the employee works the day before or after the holiday. Some employees may need time to prepare before the holiday or time to rest and recover after. Allowing them to take that time can help with their stress level.
Honor all holidays, even the less common ones, so all team members feel comfortable discussing their end of year traditions and celebrations.
Offer departmental gatherings so employees who may not have people to celebrate with can still enjoy the company of others.
Send a card to employees who have taken bereavement leave over the past year. It’s likely that they may be struggling a bit more than usual.
Acknowledge that the holidays are both joy filled and stressful in company communications and that it is completely normal to have mixed emotions. Creating a safe space for employees to discuss all aspects of their feelings can provide comfort and psychological safety.
Discuss the importance of balance and downtime. Things like The Healthy Mind Platter (essential mental activities to optimize brain matter and create well-being including Focus Time, Play Time, Connecting Time, Physical Time, Time In, Down Time and Sleep Time) are great ways to remind team members what they need to prioritize.
Encourage employee resource groups, if you have them, to offer resources to their members.

Robison likes to think of mood and anxiety states like weather patterns, continuously shifting as we’re impacted by a range of factors. For symptoms of anxiety and depression that come and go and don’t represent a diagnosable mental health condition, he recommends four steps: 1) Recognize what you feel, 2) Let yourself experience it, rather than pushing it away, 3) Remember that it’s only temporary, and 4) Accept that the feeling as part of your experience in that moment. He says this process can help people ride out the storm of the symptoms from a wiser and more intentional place, instead of letting the temporary mood and anxiety shifts derail an entire day, dictate our behaviors or dominate the holiday mood.

Rome recommends that if employers notice mood fluctuations significantly disrupting an employee’s daily life, relationships or work—or if they lead to thoughts of self-harm or hopelessness—to encourage the person to seek a professional evaluation and support to address underlying mental health issues. If an employer or employee starts to exhibit extreme or unusual signs, Robison advises support from friends, family or mental health professionals, who can help them manage the symptoms and find ways to make the holiday season less stressful and overwhelming.