The hidden cost of poor boundaries and how leaders can make rest a reality during the busiest season.
The holidays are supposed to be a time of rest, connection, and joy, but does your team come back from this season feeling more exhausted than before?
For many employees, the holidays quietly become a time of overwork, blurred boundaries, and low-grade guilt about taking time off.
Deadlines don’t disappear in December. Clients still need support. Year-end reporting looms. And somewhere in the middle of it all, people are juggling family gatherings, travel, school schedules, and the emotional weight that often comes with this time of year.
What if the solution wasn’t just PTO, but boundaries modeled by leadership?
In this article, we’ll look at why holiday burnout happens, the leadership behaviors that unintentionally cause it, and the boundaries that can truly give your team the time off they deserve.
Why Boundaries Matter More During the Holidays
Work-life balance can feel like a buzzword the rest of the year, but during the holidays, it becomes very real. Employees notice who truly respects their time, and they see who only talks about it.
When boundaries aren’t clear, employees often:
- Check email constantly “just in case”
- Feel guilty for using PTO they’ve earned
- Stay available because no one said they shouldn’t
- Return in January already burned out
On the flip side, when leaders model and protect boundaries, employees feel trusted, respected, and supported. That sense of psychological safety goes a long way, and it lasts longer than any holiday perk.
How Leadership Behavior Sets (or Breaks) Holiday Boundaries
You can’t encourage work-life balance if leaders aren’t practicing it themselves.
Employees take their cues from what managers do, not what policies say. If leadership is emailing late at night, responding instantly while on PTO, or praising “hustle” during the holidays, the message is clear even if it’s unintentional.
Small shifts make a big difference:
- Schedule emails to send during business hours.
- Let your team know when you’ll be offline (and actually be offline).
- Avoid last-minute requests unless they’re truly urgent.
- Normalize rest instead of rewarding exhaustion.
When leaders create boundaries for themselves, they give others permission to do the same.
Reduce Holiday Stress with Clear Expectations
One of the biggest sources of holiday stress is uncertainty. Employees aren’t sure:
- What’s truly urgent
- Who's covering what
- Whether it’s ok to disconnect
- If they’ll be judged for stepping away
Clear expectations reduce that anxiety.
Before the holidays hit full speed, communicate things like:
- Office closures or reduced hours
- Coverage plans and points of contact
- Response time expectations
- What constitutes a real emergency
Clarity is kindness! Especially during an already busy season.
Why Your Team Feels Guilty About Taking PTO
If your culture quietly discourages time off, employees will feel it...even if PTO is technically available.
Encouraging PTO means more than approving requests. It means:
- Not contacting employees while they’re out unless absolutely necessary
- Having coverage plans so work doesn’t pile up
- Avoiding comments like “Must be nice” or “I wish I could take off”
- Actively reminding employees to use their time
A simple message like, “We want you to truly unplug and enjoy your time off. Your work will be here when you get back,” can go a long way.
Trusting Your Team Starts with Respecting Their Time
The holidays already blur personal and professional lines. Employers don’t need to add to that confusion.
Encouraging boundaries can look like:
- Avoiding meetings early in the morning or late in the day
- Keeping holiday weeks lighter when possible
- Being flexible with schedules around travel or family needs
- Trusting employees to manage their time without micromanagement
Flexibility during the holidays doesn’t lower standards, it shows humanity.
How to Respect Emotional Boundaries During the Holidays
Not everyone experiences the holidays the same way. For some, it’s joyful. For others, it’s stressful, lonely, or heavy.
Respecting emotional boundaries means:
- Not forcing participation in holiday events
- Being mindful with “mandatory fun”
- Allowing employees to opt out without explanation
- Leading with empathy instead of assumptions
A supportive environment gives people space to show up as they are.
How Clear Boundaries Help You Retain Your Best People
Employees remember how work made them feel during high-stress seasons.
When people feel respected, trusted, and allowed to rest, they’re more likely to stay engaged, loyal, and motivated in the long run. When they feel drained or ignored, resentment builds quietly, and it often shows up in January turnover.
Encouraging boundaries is way more than a seasonal gesture. It’s a signal of your values.
Lead the Way with Boundaries This Holiday Season
I don’t like using the word never, but there’s a high likelihood that the holidays will never be totally calm at work. Deadlines still exist, clients still need help, and there’s always one more email someone could send. But the way you show up as a leader during this season tells your people more about your culture than any office party or bonus ever could.
We’ve talked about why blurred boundaries and unspoken expectations often turn the holidays into a stress season instead of a break, and that starts with leadership behavior and clarity.
When employees feel like they can truly disconnect (without guilt), they come back refreshed, engaged, and ready to do their best work.
That kind of rest doesn’t happen by accident, though. It’s reinforced by the systems you put in place, like clear PTO policies, respectful communication habits, and leaders who model what they’re asking others to do.
If you want to go deeper on building those structures, our guide on what makes the best PTO policy for your employees offers practical steps for designing time-off benefits that actually work for your team and your business.
Encouraging healthy boundaries tells your team that you trust them, respect their time outside of work, and care about their well-being, not just their output. That’s a gift your people will remember long after the decorations come down.
