‘Christmas crawl’: 60 per cent of Aussies say they ‘worked too hard’ in 2022

It’s a problem that 60 per cent of Australian workers are dealing with – and as we head towards Christmas, there is little respite coming.

Over 60 per cent of Australian workers are feeling burnt out from working too much this year, with the Christmas period offering little reprieve, according to new research.

A study of 1000 workers over 18, commissioned by job networking platform LinkedIn, found one in two Aussies are also worried about taking leave.

What is the Christmas crawl?

In some industry circles, the end-of-year increase in burnout among workers is known as the “Christmas crawl” – and the data backs it up.

The survey found it was not uncommon for employees to be emailed, texted or called about work over the summer break, with more than half of the respondents revealing they are contacted regarding their jobs over the holidays.

60% of Aussies ‘worked too hard’ in 2022

Worse, 56 per cent felt the “Christmas crawl” now starts before December, and 34 per cent of Australians believe other end-of-year distractions like Christmas shopping and family events are only adding to the stress.

Three in four Aussies also said their New Year’s resolution would involve improving their work-life balance, learning new skills or even finding a new job.

Meanwhile, as workers get to the end of the year overworked and stressed, almost three in five think it’s OK to ‘chuck a sickie’ over the summer.

Burnout tips from a hardworking chef

Workplaces don’t get much more fast-paced and stressful than a kitchen.

Victorian chef Ohad Mograby, 41, takes that up a notch, working in two kitchens and running his own catering business.

For him, the Christmas crawl is unavoidable. Usually, it rolls around yearly in the second week of December, with end-of-year parties and the like making his already busy work life even more hectic.

Mr Mograby gave an insight into how he deals with burnout.

“I try to make exciting plans for my time off that will make me happy thinking about them,” he told news.com.au.

Victorian chef Ohad Mograby, 41, works in two kitchens and runs his own catering business. Picture: Supplied

“However, it is a double-edged sword; I can get very excited about those plans and then get very impatient about when they will happen.

“Christmas is a busy month in every industry. Make sure your weekly days off have a good balance of socialising and relaxing, and use some of the money you earn on yourself.”

He said his industry offered “nothing structured” when it came to mitigating burnout – but there was a good staff culture of looking out for one another’s wellbeing.

“We – the chefs and waiters – usually take care of each other’s wellbeing, mostly in the form of hanging out at pubs, concerts and shows and talking about the upcoming holiday.”

‘Have the conversation’

Cayla Dengate from LinkedIn said it’s no secret a healthy work-life balance was a goal of many Australians, but many do not know how to achieve it.

She said through the pandemic – in particular for those who worked remotely – it became hard to separate work and home life.

“We saw real blurring in the lines between professional and private lives … a lot of Australians say that they’ve been contacted over the Christmas break by their workplace, whether it’s emails or texts or phone calls,” she told news.com.au.

Cayla Dengate from LinkedIn said it’s important to speak up when burnout strikes. Picture: Supplied

“A lot of people are trying to make that work-life balance work their favour a little bit more.”

“[The results backed] this idea of spending the Christmas period reassessing what works for you. Don’t wait for New Year’s resolutions if you’re feeling burnt out.

“It’s a really good time now to have a conversation with your manager before the Christmas period.

“Just put your mental health first and have that productive conversation about your boundaries, and why it’s important to have that proper break and stave off burnout.”

Ms Dengate said most workplaces are getting accustomed to open dialogue around burnout, meaning broaching the conversation need not be a daunting experience.

“We’ve had a really positive shift towards talking openly in the workplace about things like burnout and mental health and anxiety,” she said.

“It’s what companies need to listen to if they want to hang on to their best staff.”