It’s been a tough couple of years for small businesses – and that includes their hard-working staff.

Living through a global pandemic, learning to work remotely, and navigating through constant change and disruption – it’s no wonder people are feeling burnt out.

But the shift to remote and hybrid working has also resulted in longer work days. In fact, a report by the United Nations International Labour Organisation found that although employees are more productive working from home – with greater independence, convenience and flexibility – they are also prone to an intense pace of work and longer hours, leading to stress and exhaustion.

Further, research by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) showed that Australians working more than 45 hours a week are more likely to be unhappy.

Encourage your staff to switch off this Christmas

While it’s always an important message to unplug and switch off over the holidays, this year it’s particularly important to ensure employees are making the most of their well-deserved break. Unplugging from work naturally boosts productivity, creativity and efficiency, making sure employees can return in the new year fresh and ready to take on new challenges.

Here are three steps to ensure that employees switch off this Christmas:

1. Encourage staff to book annual leave

A report by Expedia revealed that employees are taking much less leave than they were before the pandemic. This needs to change if people are to effectively disengage from work and reset, especially considering many find themselves overwhelmed with digital fatigue.

Taking regular breaks offers a fresh perspective, which means people return to the office energised and more productive.

To ensure employees are enjoying a healthy work-life balance, organisations must encourage staff to book their leave ahead of time, and take it regularly instead of hoarding it year after year. Some organisations also offer an additional week’s leave over the Christmas break, so staff don’t feel like their annual leave is being used unfairly if a business shuts down over that period.

2. Get offline, and stay offline

The fear of returning to an inbox with hundreds, if not thousands, of emails – and the accompanying anxiety that goes with that – results in some employees continuing to check email on leave, preventing them from completely switching off. But this is clearly not an ideal situation.

Employers need to implement policies that enable staff to fully switch off, by ensuring that out-of-office auto-responses are switched on, alternative contacts are provided, and employees understand that they are not obliged to think about work until the moment they come back from leave.

3. Lead by example

Managers are often guilty of breaking the rules. But the best way to encourage staff to unplug from work is to walk the talk.

If managers themselves create a culture of being available round-the-clock, even when on holiday, chances are that employees will feel compelled to behave the same way. On the contrary, if managers and organisations make it a point to draw clear boundaries between work and play – it fosters a more open, productive and creative workplace – where employees feel they can perform to their optimum.

Nurturing a happy and healthy workforce

There is no one-size-fits-all formula for a happy and productive workforce. However, keeping employees tied to their desks in the hope that this will boost business is an outdated idea. Rather, consciously encouraging staff to unplug from work can positively impact employee wellbeing and performance.

This is critical when the pressure to perform and stress is at an all-time high – as highlighted in a recent workplace report by Gallup.

But ensuring that employees unplug from work should not just be reserved for the Christmas period. Creating a positive work environment that provides optimised workspaces and regular opportunities to unplug, should be a core business focus year-round.

In fact, the productivity increases found with a more rested workforce is why so many businesses are now trialling the four-day work week. Instead of a high-strung and demotivated workforce, adequate leave and permission to unplug will ensure organisations have happier, more focused and more productive people who actually want to work.

This could be the tipping point for a hybrid workforce of the future.

This article was first published in December 2022.

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