Why your company should shut down for the holidays

As 2024 comes to a close, many workers find themselves juggling end-of-year deadlines and holiday preparations. But the race to New Year's Day doesn't have to leave employees even more burned out.

Dr. Michelle Quist Ryder, the CEO of the American Psychological Foundation, is requiring all her employees to take the week off between Christmas and New Year's Day. She hopes that if no one at the nonprofit is online, the pressure to check inboxes and team messages is eliminated, and her workforce can truly rest. 

"This releases the tension you have when you take your own PTO and come back to an overflowing email and all the work that other people couldn't pick up," says Dr. Ryder. "When your entire organization takes [time] off, it reduces that burden and actually gives you free time to rejuvenate." 

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She adds that the week between Christmas and New Year's is notoriously unproductive anyway, as many employees are out of the office. But even workers who are technically online during the holiday week are rightfully distracted: They're welcoming visiting family, traveling to see loved ones or they're simply run down by the last month, if not the last year, notes Dr. Ryder.  

According to talent and outsourcing company Yoh, 45% of employees have experienced indicators of job burnout this year, with 34% reporting that they have sacrificed their personal lives for the sake of their professional responsibilities and with 27% feeling like they couldn't take time off. Depending on the industry, December should be the last month employers try to squeeze more from their workers, especially if they want workers to be ready to tackle Q1. 

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"If you have somebody that is stressed and is overworked, they're coming to work with limited resources," she says. "They're going to pull back. They will choose to conserve their [energy] because they're afraid of what will be demanded of them — but if we show them that we're going to protect and invest in them, then they don't feel like they have to do that themselves."

Dr. Ryder calls the company's holiday week off a "self-guided goals retreat," with the expectation that employees will use that time to consider what they're excited about accomplishing in 2025, professionally and personally. Her goal is for workers to not only be rested but optimistic about the year ahead. 

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"Benefits that you're giving employees should also benefit the organization," says Dr. Ryder. "We give them what they need to thrive, and they're going to give us what we need to thrive."