As the Christmas period nears, and work winds down you might be gearing up for a couple of weeks of relaxation and celebration.
But, for those in stressful and demanding jobs, breaking up for the holidays might not be so simple.
A study has shown that 54 percent of employees feel stressed in the run-up to Christmas – with more deadlines and increasing financial pressure. And sometimes, the stress doesn’t stop just because you’re out of the office.
Once the Christmas break comes, workers in stressful jobs might struggle to turn off their laptops or check their e-mails because they want to get ahead with work for the new year. But this means these workers don’t get a proper break and could be at risk of burnout.
We have rounded up some ways workers can ‘switch-off’ during this period, so they can return to work feeling refreshed.
1) Plan and organise
Everyone knows when the Christmas holidays are happening, so make sure you have this in mind and plan accordingly in the months leading up to the event. Make a checklist of what needs to be completed and when, so you can meet your goals before the holidays, rather than have it looming into the new year. Also, make a plan for when you return to work, so you have some guidelines for the first week back and can get back on track straightaway.
Additionally, try to plan your personal life to minimise stress. With extra stress coming from all angles, maybe booking a day off to get your Christmas shopping or present wrapping done might help alleviate some of the anxiety.
2) Turn off notifications
If you’re prone to checking your work e-mail while you’re off, turn off your notifications or delete your e-mail app altogether to reduce stress. In most cases, if you are booked off work, colleagues and managers should not be trying to get hold of you.
Annual leave is there to provide rest and relaxation time for workers, so if you’re thinking about work while you’re off, this will likely hinder your time off. Additionally, if you have a work WhatsApp or social media channel set up, mute or archive the chats while you are on annual leave if they are causing you stress.
3) Set up an out-of-office
Let your colleagues, clients and customers know you are not contactable over this period by setting up an out-of-office. You could also point them in the direction of someone who is available and who can help with their query in your absence.
This will inform them as to why you are not answering your e-mails, and get their query solved quicker. This means your workload will be reduced for the new year when you return and the problem will be solved more efficiently.
4) Manage expectations
If there are people off over the Christmas period, it is very unlikely that you will be able to meet the same sort of targets that you would on a normal week. But expectations should be managed to take absences into account and processes should be in place to manage this time off.
Try not to put pressure on yourself if you are working with a skeleton workforce, and remember that some time might need to be spent when you return to the office to deal with the backlog of work.
Stress at Work – The law
Employers have a duty of care to protect workers from the risk of stress at work under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 also requires employers to make a ‘suitable and sufficient assessment’ of the risks to the health and safety of their employees at work.
High levels of stress over a period of time runs the risk of damaging mental health to the extent that medical intervention is required. Employers have a legal obligation to take measures to support both the physical and mental wellbeing of staff.
Common stress at work claims can include:
- Workplace bullying – Physical or verbal abuse, being belittled, excluded, malicious pranks, aggressive and passive-aggressive treatment, etc.
- Harassment at work – Threats, physical, verbal and sexual assault, attacks on ‘protected’ characteristics, and some of the behaviours listed under workplace bullying.
- Lack of training – Pressure of doing a job and do it well, having been offered insufficient or zero training.
- Excessive workload – Having far too much work for one person to manage. This can affect both and personal life.
- Denial of rights – Such as toilet, coffee or lunch breaks, permission to attend medical appointments, unreasonably required to stay after hours, etc.
- Unfairly applied policies or procedures – Selective enforcement of rules, unreasonable demands, or being singled out to do something when you are unable to do.
- Having mental health issues ignored – When your employer has full disclosure about a mental health condition, yet they don’t make satisfactory adjustments to accommodate your needs within the workplace.
Compensation is pursued in the county courts against an employer who has failed in their legal duties to keep their employee mentally safe at work despite being aware that risks were present, causing harm to that employee’s health.
How to make a claim for stress at work
You must legally prove that you have not only suffered workplace stress, but that the stress meets the clinical criteria for a recognised psychiatric condition. If so, you would be able to claim compensation known as general damages – compensation for the pain and suffering you have endured as a result of the negligence.
If the symptoms meet the criteria, the court uses guidance called the Judicial Studies Board Guidelines (JCG) as a starting point, which takes into account the following:
- The injured person’s ability to cope with life and work
- The effect on the injured person’s relationships with family, friends, and those with whom he or she comes into contact
- The extent to which treatment would be successful
- Future vulnerability
- Prognosis
- Whether medical help has been sought
Further reading
Stress at work claims – Oakwood Solicitors
WHAT TO DO NEXT
Get in touch today for a no-obligation consultation. Choose one of the methods on the right-hand side of this page, or call us on 0113 200 9720 to find out how we can help you.
Emma Piorkowska joined Oakwood Solicitors in October 2009 and qualified as a Solicitor in September 2013. Emma works in our Psychiatric Injury and Employment departments, specialising in Work-Re…
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