Should Employees Be Expected to “Push Through” December, or Should Companies Ease Expectations?
December has become a contradiction in modern work culture. On one hand, it’s framed as a time for reflection, rest, and family. On the other, it’s often one of the most demanding months of the year. Targets still stand. Deadlines still loom. Performance reviews still happen. For many employees, the result is a familiar tension between finishing strong and feeling completely depleted.
As conversations around wellbeing grow louder, a difficult question remains unresolved. Should employees be expected to push through the final stretch of the year, or should businesses adjust expectations during the holidays?
Why December Pressure Exists
For many organisations, December is not a slowdown. It’s a closing chapter. Financial years end, targets are reviewed, bonuses are calculated, and results are scrutinised. Managers want momentum, not drift.
From a business perspective, the pressure makes sense. Missed targets do not disappear just because it’s festive. Clients still expect delivery. Revenue still matters. But when this pressure collides with reduced capacity, school holidays, and mental fatigue, cracks begin to show.
The Cost of “Just One Last Push”
The idea of pushing through December is deeply embedded in workplace culture. Finish the year strong. Rest later. One more sprint.
The problem is that many employees arrive at December already exhausted. The year has been long, unpredictable, and demanding. Asking for extra resilience at this point often leads to:
- Burnout that carries into the new year
- Increased sick leave in January
- Disengagement and resentment
- Higher turnover early in Q1
What looks like commitment in December can quietly become attrition in February.
Productivity Does Not Peak Under Exhaustion
There is a persistent belief that pressure drives performance. In reality, cognitive load, emotional fatigue, and reduced focus undermine decision-making. Employees may still be working, but the quality of output often drops.
In knowledge-based roles especially, December pressure can result in rushed decisions, errors, and short-term thinking. The cost of correcting those mistakes later often outweighs any short-term gains made by forcing productivity through fatigue.
The Case for Easing Expectations
Easing expectations does not mean abandoning standards or halting work entirely. It means recognising capacity.
Companies that handle December well often do a few simple things:
- Reduce non-essential meetings
- Adjust deadlines where possible
- Focus on maintenance rather than major new initiatives
- Encourage use of annual leave without guilt
- Acknowledge that output may slow
These signals matter. They tell employees that rest is not a failure, and that performance is measured over time, not just at year-end.
Fairness and Visibility Matter
One challenge is consistency. Not all roles experience December in the same way. Customer-facing teams, healthcare workers, and operational staff may not have the option to slow down. This makes blanket messaging difficult.
However, transparency helps. When leadership acknowledges uneven pressure and explains why expectations differ, trust improves. Silence, by contrast, often feels like indifference.
What Employees Actually Remember
Few people remember hitting a December target. Many remember how they were treated when they were tired.
How organisations handle the final weeks of the year leaves a lasting impression. It shapes how employees return in January, how motivated they feel, and whether they see the business as sustainable long term.
A company that demands everything in December may still hit its numbers, but it risks starting the new year with a disengaged workforce.
The Bottom Line
Expecting employees to endlessly push through December ignores the reality of human limits. Easing expectations does not weaken performance. In many cases, it protects it.
The most effective organisations recognise that long-term results depend on pacing, not pressure. December does not need to be a test of endurance. It can be a reset point, if companies are willing to treat it as one.
Proximity Recruitment is a leading specialist in digital, marketing, and eCommerce recruitment. We connect ambitious businesses with exceptional marketing and digital talent across Northampton, Milton Keynes, and Leicester — helping companies scale smarter and grow faster through strategic hiring.
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