The holiday season is a time to rest, connect, and reflect. But for many employees, it can also feel overwhelming.
Work seems to speed up instead of slow down thanks to the “vacation tax” that comes with time off. Projects pile up, deadlines tighten, and expectations become blurry as people are closing out the year in between holiday parties and travel. At the same time, personal obligations, family pressures, travel plans, and finances add weight to an already full plate.
A 2023 report from the American Psychological Association found that 95% of employees believe it is important for their workplace to respect boundaries between work and personal time. Yet the holiday season is when those boundaries tend to get crossed the most.
That’s why this time of year, more than ever, boundary-setting becomes essential as a core part of protecting your mental health and work-life balance.
Why the Holiday Season Is Especially Hard on Boundaries
Even in the best workplaces, the holidays can disrupt routines. You may be juggling:
- Extra work responsibilities before year-end
- Last-minute projects or leadership requests
- More emails, more meetings, more urgency
- Social events or gatherings you may not have capacity for
- Travel, caregiving, hosting duties, or family expectations
- Emotional triggers or complicated family dynamics
All of this contributes to the feeling that your time is no longer your own.
Many employees feel pressure to say yes to everything, even when they’re exhausted. Some worry that setting boundaries makes them look less committed. Others simply don’t know how to say “no” respectfully.
So healthy boundaries make you more effective, not less. They keep burnout at bay and help you show up as your best self at work and at home. You deserve clarity, respect, and space even during the busiest season of the year.
Setting Boundaries at Work: What You Can Do
Here are guiding principles for protecting your well-being at work:
Be clear about your availability
Let your team know ahead of time when you’re online, when you’re off, and when you’ll be taking time away. When you communicate this upfront and with some lead time, you set expectations that reduce misunderstandings and unnecessary stress.
We suggest adding your upcoming availability, or lack thereof, in your email signature and providing verbal reminders in your pre-holiday meetings. Block your calendar, and make sure it automatically rejects meetings proposed during your off-time.
Then, once your availability is established, give yourself permission to disconnect. Unless your role requires on-call coverage, it’s important to step away fully during your non-work hours. Turn off notifications, close the laptop, and allow your evenings and weekends to truly belong to you.
(And when you create your out-of-office autoresponder, make it fun! We read an article on Hubspot once that these emails have something like a 97% open rate because people want to know when you’ll be back. Take advantage and offer your scheduling link, a holiday joke, and a resource to lean on until you return.)
Know your limits and communicate respectfully
You don’t need to justify taking care of yourself or apologize for having boundaries. A simple, direct statement such as, “I’m not available during that time, but I can address this when I return,” is both firm and professional.
By expressing your limits clearly, you create space for healthier expectations and help others understand how to work with you effectively. Clear communication also prevents resentment from building – which can make being productive even harder – and ensures you can offer your best work when you are available.
If you’re unsure how assertive you actually are with your boundaries, try our quick self-assessment, “How Assertive Are You?” It will give you insight into your communication style and your results are a great starting point for building healthier, more empowered boundaries this season.
Get a copy of Catherine’s book, Navigating a Toxic Workplace for Dummies, for more self-assessments on assertiveness, conflict style, and communication, and for more ideas on how to set boundaries.
Recognize when stress is turning into incivility
Pay attention when someone crosses a line. If a colleague’s behavior shifts into raised voices, disrespect, pressure tactics, or outright bullying, it’s important not to dismiss it as “holiday stress” or “just a busy season.” Those moments are clear indicators that your boundaries are being violated.
So you might try something like, “Okay you’re crossing my boundaries now. Let’s revisit when things are more calm.”
You deserve a workplace where boundaries and respect go hand-in-hand. That means you are absolutely entitled to speak with HR, a trusted leader, or another designated resource when something feels off. And you don’t have to consider doing that only when you’re making a complaint! Please, reach out to a trusted colleague or leader and ask for advice or coaching on what to say.
Boundaries at Home: Because Family Can Be… A Lot
Work isn’t the only place where boundaries matter. Family roles and expectations often intensify during the holidays. You may be managing:
- Relatives spending the night
- Expectations to host or entertain
- Dinners with family members you don’t enjoy
- Financial strain
- Pressure to attend events you don’t want to attend
- Old family tensions resurfacing
- Cultural, political, or religious expectations that don’t align with your own
It’s okay to say no. It’s okay to step away. It’s okay to create limits around your emotional, physical, and financial energy.
Remember that:
- You don’t have to attend every gathering.
- You don’t need to explain every boundary.
- Your rest is important, even if others don’t understand it.
- “I can’t this year” is a complete sentence.
- “We’re budgeting right now so won’t be participating in the gift exchange” is a perfectly fine thing to say.
Healthy boundaries at home make it easier to maintain healthy boundaries at work — and vice versa.
Give Yourself the Gift of Space This Season
This holiday season, choose yourself. Give yourself the gift of clarity, rest, and emotional peace. Remember:
You are allowed to take time off. You are allowed to unplug. You are allowed to say no. You are allowed to protect your peace.
And when you do, you help make your workplace more civil, more respectful, and more human.
If your organization needs support strengthening culture or if you want tools for better communication, well-being, or conflict prevention, just shoot us an email.
Here’s to a season that supports you, not one that drains you.
