Written by The Works Team
Managing End-of-Year Work Stress: How to Protect Your Mental Wellbeing
The end of the year can bring a particular kind of pressure at work.
Deadlines that once felt far away are suddenly close. Projects need to be wrapped up, targets reviewed and plans prepared for January.
Research shows that workload and pressure can affect workplace wellbeing. The CIPD’s Good Work Index 2025 found that 25% of UK workers said their work had a negative impact on their mental health, with excessive workloads, excessive pressure and exhaustion among the strongest factors associated with poorer outcomes. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) also identifies workload and work patterns as key areas that can contribute to work-related stress when they are not properly managed.
That makes the end of the year a useful time to think about how you are working, not just what you are trying to finish.
Start With What Actually Needs to Be Done
When everything feels urgent, it can be difficult to know where to start.
Review your remaining tasks and separate what genuinely needs to happen before the end of the year from what can wait until January.
HSE guidance recommends that work demands should be adequate and achievable within agreed working hours, with support available when priorities conflict.
A clearer list can make it easier to focus on what matters most.
Don't Let Breaks Disappear
When deadlines get closer, breaks can feel like something you can skip until things calm down.
But if the busy period continues for weeks, waiting for things to calm down may mean never taking a proper break.
Build short pauses into your working day. Step away from your screen, have lunch away from your desk or take a short walk between tasks.
It gives you an opportunity to reset before returning to work.
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Create a Clear Finish Line
During busy periods, work can continue mentally even after the working day has ended.
Create a simple end-of-day routine. Write down outstanding tasks, identify tomorrow’s first priority and then give yourself permission to stop.
If you work remotely, physically leaving your workspace can also help separate working time from personal time.
Don't Try to Carry Everything Alone
When workloads increase, communication becomes more important.
If deadlines are unrealistic, priorities conflict or you don’t have enough time to complete everything, raise the issue rather than quietly absorbing the pressure.
HSE guidance identifies support and relationships, alongside demands, as important areas in managing work-related stress. Discussing workload with a manager or colleague can help clarify priorities and identify where support may be needed.
Leave Some Space for Life Outside Work
The end of the year isn’t only busy because of work.
For many people, the holiday period can also involve financial concerns, family responsibilities, travel and social commitments. An American Psychological Association survey of 2,061 U.S. adults found that 41% said their stress increased during the November-to-January holiday period. This research is U.S.-specific, but it shows that the wider holiday period can bring additional pressures alongside work.
Keeping plans realistic and leaving some unscheduled time can make the season more manageable.
A Productive End to the Year Doesn't Mean Doing Everything
Finishing the year well isn’t necessarily about clearing every task before the calendar changes.
It can mean knowing what needs your attention, asking for support, taking proper breaks and giving yourself space to recover.
The HSE notes that stress affects people differently, so there isn’t one routine that works for everyone. What matters is recognising when demands are becoming difficult to manage and taking practical steps to address them.
Sometimes, a healthier way to finish the year is to focus on what matters, leave room to recover and remember that some things can wait until January.
At The Works, we provide a flexible working environment where professionals can focus on their work while having space to take breaks, change their surroundings and maintain a healthier working routine.
Sources:
1. CIPD — Good Work Index 2025
2. UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) — Work-Related Stress
3. HSE — Management Standards: Demands
4. HSE — Management Standards: Support
5. Journal of Vocational Behavior — At-Work Recovery
6. American Psychological Association — Holiday Stress Survey
