Is it time for a holiday? We need a break

How are the people in your business or in your team feeling?
Christmas is on the horizon and there are murmurs asking when does Christmas fall, if I have 3 days off, I can have an 11 day break. But do I want to use my annual leave, or save it for more certain times?
 
Have you had a break? Have your colleagues had a break? This isn’t all about holidays, this is about having a break from work, and a break away from work.
 
I am hearing directly from employees, their worries and concerns. Since COVID the majority are working from home and more recently returning to the office on a rotating schedule with other team members. Their working hours are long and they are not considering holidays, or having a break. Scarily, they are worried about asking for time off in fear they may lose their job!
 
Wow! For me, this is a red flag. We all know that this attitude is a key driver for low morale and possibly an increase in staff turnover.
 
What I was hearing over and over again from professionals prompted me to dig a little deeper to uncover the bigger picture. Here is a snippet of my findings:
 
  • In Australia, employees are reporting pressure from their co-workers, colleagues and managers prompts them to be ‘always on’, whether working in the office or working remotely
  • 7 in 10 professionals today are suffering from burnout in the wake of the COVID
  • 26.7% feel there is little separation between work and life
  • 20.5% report of unmanageable work load
  • 18.8% have job security concerns
 
These are all clear indicators of burnout and will be detrimental short and long term. While productivity is up, it comes at a cost. Australians have proved to be agile, but burnout has been a huge issue the workplace for years and now in the wake of the global crisis the number of cases are set rise.
 
It has been a hard year for many, and holidays have been postponed, leave has been cancelled and plans have changed. More stories are emerging of people who are starting to realise and feel like it has been a long time since they have had a break. Or that they are feeling like they ‘need’ a break. Employees consistently identify work-life balance as one of the most valuable aspects of their organisation’s culture. So, it is important that leaders demonstrate their duty of care, practice empathy, discuss taking a break and identify any team members who are showing signs of burnout.
 
Now is the time to talk to your team about planning leave and how you can support them and your team, and their wellbeing.
 
References:
* Covid -19 Why burnout is on the rise, BLAND, 2020
* HR Daily 2020
 
Filed under:
Published on: 19/10/2020

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