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My old boss used to get sick every time she went on Christmas holiday. No, it wasn’t because of the dodgy street food in far-flung locations. After weeks and months of staying in the office late at night, pushing through all of the HR year-end processes, her Christmas holiday was the only time she would rest and relax. Her immune system would respond by immediately shutting down, knocking her into bed for half of her vacation.
For most HR leaders, there is just no time to get sick during the year-end cycle. My boss pushed herself to the brink, joining every late-night call, juggling money around in the bonus pool, and placating angry senior bankers. Self-care was not an option, much less a good night’s sleep. We were regularly in the office past midnight, double-checking compensation spreadsheets and finalizing the bonuses and salary increases until our eyes were crossed and our heads were heavy. Some nights, I would look at the calendar and wonder how we would get everything done before my flight home for Christmas.
I used to think this was a really unhealthy way to live, until I realized that this is the way that a lot of HR leaders operate.
I used to think this was a really unhealthy way to live, until I realized that this is the way that a lot of HR leaders operate. The end of the calendar year is a big milestone (especially for those who work at organizations with a January – December financial year) and it can feel like a massive sprint to the finish line. For HR leaders who support business stakeholders who are really demanding, the holiday season tends to be the only time of the year when everyone is out of the office. But you’ve got to get there first.
Trying to deliver performance management, promotions, compensation reviews, and bonuses all within a short time window can be both heroic and exhausting. That’s in addition to all of the regular HR BAU activities like hiring, projects and resignations. At the same time, there’s a huge number of personal things to do as well – Christmas shopping, kid’s school plays, corporate parties, catching up with out-of-town guests. It’s enough to make you collapse out of sheet exhaustion just from looking at your calendar.
So, what should HR leaders do to ensure they are prioritizing themselves during the silly season? Here are a few suggestions.
Set boundaries (within reason) Of course you won’t be able to decline every late-night call, especially if you are working in a global team. But you don’t have to accept all of the early morning ones and certainly not the ones on Friday night. If you have personal plans that are really important to you (i.e. your kid’s school play) get someone else on the team to take the call for you, ask them to record it or just respectfully decline and say you will catch up later. No one is going to die if you don’t join a call.
Lean on your support team This time of year is a really good time to lean on your external HR peer network. They are experiencing similar challenges, but with slightly different nuances and timelines. Venting, blowing off steam or just generally having a laugh will do you a world of good. You can bond about how ridiculous your internal processes are or how you can’t stand using Workday for another second.
Go out with your non-HR friends I know what’s it’s like to laugh at inane things with your colleagues at 2am. Everything seems funny at that time. But it’s good to get perspective and hang out with some non-HR folks during this very busy and challenging time of the year. They can remind you that life exists outside of the office, that you are valued for who you are (and not what you can deliver), and that the end is in sight.
Tune out If you can, I’d recommend turning off notifications on your phone, so you don’t get those pesky Outlook, Slack and Whatsapp pop-ups from your clients on the weekends and evenings. I know it’s easier said than done, but give it a try. It’s liberating.
For those HR leaders in my network, best of luck as you wrap-up yet another silly season. As your eyes are crossing over another compensation spreadsheet, ask yourself, “Is this what I want to be doing next year?” If the answer is no, book in for a call. Let’s talk.
Happy holidays and happy new year!
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I work with female senior leaders in Human Resources who feel stuck to help them love their work or find work they love. Like this? Please share + follow me if you found this interesting. I post about:
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