Communicating Boundaries at Work During the Holiday Season
Every December, my friends, coworkers and clients are all venting the same thing over and over again: “I want to take time off to be fully present with my family, but there’s so much work I need to finish before the end of the year”
If there’s one time of year where boundaries become blurry, it’s the holidays. Work ramps up. People get sick. Deadlines get moved up instead of pushed back. Leaders are stretched thin. And professionals everywhere are trying to finish strong while also wanting (and needing) to be fully present for the people they love.
So as we run full steam ahead into the last few weeks of the year, let me remind you one thing: your time is the only thing you can’t earn back.
The projects, deadlines, and emails will be right there waiting the minute you return. But the memories you miss? Those don’t come back around.
With 66% of employees reporting additional stress at work during the holidays, it’s critical to prioritize and communicate boundaries at work this season, especially for women who are at greater risk of burnout.
Needless to say (but I’ll say it anyways) it is necessary to prioritize and communicate boundaries during the busiest time of year.
Here’s how you can successfully communicate boundaries in your professional life without all the backlash -
1.Remember time is your most valuable asset
You will never get this time in your life back again. One time my therapist told me, “you’re the youngest you’ll ever be” and I feel like this statement only hits harder over the holidays.
But work? That’ll be there the minute you get back. Always. And probably more of it too. Remind yourself of this fleeting reminder whenever you are about to ask for time off.
2. Manage expectations around your workload
When you need to set a boundary around saying NO to additional work before year end, try saying this:
“Hey xx, I recognize this is a need for the business at this time. I’m currently working on wrapping up ABC before the end of the year. With a tight timeline, and only a couple weeks left in 2025, do I need to re-prioritize what I’m working on? I can’t take on any new work, but I can shift focus if needed.”
3. Explicitly communicate expectations around time off
Understand what time off means to you and your organization. Does your employer expect you to be on call? To be responding to emails? Are you able to fully disconnect? Can you leave your phone/computer at home? What about email on your mobile? These are all essential questions to ask yourself (and your management team) to ensure expectations are clear and consistent.
When you need to communicate expectations around time off, try this,
“Hey team, with the busiest time of year around the corner and recognizing the holiday season is upon us, the goal of this email is to ensure expectations around time off and work-related projects are communicated.
- Expectation #1
- Expectation #2
- Expectation #3
Questions? Here to help!”
4.Lead by example
If you’re taking time off, take time off. Do not respond to emails, Slack messages, or meeting requests. When you do, even with good intentions, you unintentionally signal to your coworkers and direct reports that they should stay plugged in too.
This is true for every role from individual contributors to senior leaders. Boundary modeling matters. If your behavior says “I’m always available,” people will follow your lead. Over time, this erodes trust and accelerates burnout across a team.
The expectations, tasks, and busyness of the holiday season can be overwhelming but it doesn’t mean you should sacrifice finding the joy in it. Start communicating some simple, yet powerful boundaries at work so you can alleviate some of the manufactured stress December brings.
If you’d like more scripts, templates, and communication strategies like these, join my weekly newsletter. Every Friday, I share practical tools to help you communicate confidently and create a healthier, more collaborative work life — all year long.
