The holiday season asks a lot of people in a short span of time. From late November into the new year, work brings its own deadlines and home brings its own obligations.
Holiday stress at work is the strain that builds when work and personal demands overlap, and employees carry that with them into the workday.
HR has real influence over how the season feels at work, through decisions that include workload and expectations around time off. For pressures that start at home, employees may turn to people they trust or to professional support, and an employee assistance program is one confidential place to begin.
Holiday stress, from combined pressures at home and at work, adds to the stress many employees already feel even outside the holiday season. In the Aflac WorkForces Report, a survey of more than 2,000 U.S. employees conducted this spring, three-quarters of employees said they experience at least moderate workplace stress.
In SHRM's article "10 Tips for Addressing Workers' Heightened Holiday Stress," an HR executive listed signs that managers can be trained to recognize:
Any of these can have many causes, from a sick child to a heavy project, and the signs alone can't show what is behind the change. But they can be the impetus for a manager to address the issue constructively.
Over time, workplace stress can lead to burnout, which the World Health Organization defines as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.
The common causes of holiday stress in the workplace fall into two groups. Some are work pressures that peak at the end of the year, and others are personal pressures that arrive during the same weeks.
The work side starts with the calendar. In SHRM's "10 Tips" article, Aflac's chief human resources officer, Jeri Hawthorne, pointed to the pressure to meet "year-end deadlines during a shortened work month" as one reason workplace stress intensifies during the holidays. Projects still have to close even as holidays and vacation days shrink the time available.
Personal pressures vary from one employee to the next. Jennifer Moss, author of The Burnout Epidemic, noted in the same article that the holidays can be especially hard for people who are grieving and can feel exclusive for employees who don't celebrate them.
Money often adds another layer, as many people are reporting this year. In an Intuit Credit Karma survey of U.S. adults conducted in late September and early October 2026, half said they are more worried about money this holiday season than they were last year. A third said they are concerned about their job or income security heading into the season.
The response depends on what is creating the strain.
The Aflac WorkForces Report makes a similar point about workplace stress in general, noting that heavy workloads, financial pressure, and limited flexibility require different combinations of workplace changes, benefits, and support. Knowing where the strain comes from helps HR choose a response that fits it.
HR strategies for holiday stress combine changes to working conditions with access to personal support.
HR and benefits experts interviewed by SHRM recommend practical steps that fit into the season's existing routines:
Check in with employees more often than usual. A simple opener such as "I want to check in to see how you're doing" can be followed by a question about how the manager can help.
EAP reminders are more useful when they tell employees how to reach the program and who is covered. Managers who notice a change can point the employee toward support, and they may want guidance before that conversation. The Ulliance EAP includes manager consultations for supervisors in that position.
Employees get the most from holiday time off when they can step away from work completely. That means reassuring workers that they don't have to work on their days off, and managers leading by example by not checking email while they're out or contacting direct reports who are on holiday time.
The employees who stay behind need attention too. Planning coverage early helps keep their workload from swelling while colleagues are away. Employers can also stay open to what workers need during this stretch, whether that means a more flexible schedule or help borrowed from departments with lighter workloads at year-end.
Sick time belongs in the plan as well. Encouraging employees to take sick time, or to work remotely if they feel well enough, can help reduce the spread of illness during an already busy month. Managers should apply consistent criteria and explain what flexibility is available.
HR can also share simple guidance employees can use on their own, through newsletters, team meetings, or the EAP's own materials. The American Psychological Association's tips for lessening holiday stress offer a practical starting point:
Talking with family early about spending limits can also take some pressure off the season's gift-giving.
When these steps aren't enough and stress feels overwhelming, the association advises consulting a psychologist or other licensed mental health professional.
During the holidays, an EAP can give employees a way to talk through seasonal pressures with a professional. That option is useful at a time of year when many people keep their stress to themselves. In a 2023 poll by the American Psychological Association, 70% of U.S. adults who experience holiday stress said they're comfortable talking with others about it, but only 41% said they actually do.
Holiday pressures give employees specific reasons to reach out. Someone facing the first holidays after a loss, or bracing for a tense family gathering, can talk through their seasonal pressures with a counselor. An employee worried about holiday spending can be connected with financial resources, if the program offers them.
Because counseling is confidential, employees can bring up concerns they wouldn't raise with a manager. That confidentiality can make it easier to start a conversation many employees put off during the holidays.
Ulliance supports employee mental health and well-being through confidential counseling, work-life resources, manager support, and crisis services, built around its Life Advisor Resolution EAP Model®.
For HR, the model comes with dedicated Account Directors, manager consultations, and help with employee communication and promotion. HR teams can use promotional materials and on-site presentations to remind employees about the EAP before the busiest weeks of the season, and aggregate utilization reporting helps HR understand how the program is being used.
Ulliance describes the purpose of an EAP as helping people work through life’s challenges before they become barriers at work. During a busy season, that starts with access. Ulliance is available 24/7/365, so support stays open when offices close for the holidays, and its nationwide provider network extends services to employees’ family members and significant others.
The Resolution EAP Model® offers a flexible number of counseling visits rather than a fixed limit, with sessions focused on helping employees resolve the challenges they’re facing. Work-life services and an online EAP portal add practical resources between counseling sessions.
Support that employees can reach at any hour, for themselves or their household, gives them a way to address holiday pressures as they come up.
When you partner with Ulliance, our Life Advisor Consultants are always just a phone call away to teach ways to enhance your work/life balance and increase your happiness. The Ulliance Life Advisor Employee Assistance Program can help employees and employers come closer to a state of total well-being.
Investing in the right EAP or Wellness Program to support your employees will help them and help you. Visit https://ulliance.com/ or call 866-648-8326.
The Ulliance Employee Assistance Program can address the
following issues:
• Stress about work or job performance
• Crisis in the workplace
• Conflict resolution at work or in one’s personal life
• Marital or relationship problems
• Child or elder care concerns
• Financial worries
• Mental health problems
• Alcohol/substance abuse
• Grief
• Interpersonal conflicts
• AND MORE!
References:
10 Tips for Addressing Workers' Heightened Holiday Stress; SHRM; Kathryn Mayer
https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/benefits-compensation/employer-tips-employee-high-holiday-stress
2026-2027 Aflac WorkForces Report: Executive Summary; Aflac
https://www.aflac.com/docs/awr/pdf/2026-overview/2026-aflac-awr-executive-summary.pdf
Even a Joyous Holiday Season Can Cause Stress for Most Americans; American Psychological Association
https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2023/11/holiday-season-stress
Half of Americans Are Worried About Money This Holiday Season; Intuit Credit Karma; Jaime Duzi
https://www.creditkarma.com/about/commentary/half-of-americans-are-worried-about-money-this-holiday-season