In an era of hybrid or remote settings, holiday happiness starts with in-human connection, argue experts
Each month at BPM, we offer a slate of articles and content pieces that go deep on a particular topic. This December, we’re exploring employee and plan members' well-being - and its link to mental health.
The holiday season is often marketed as a reliable source of joy and cheer, but when it comes to well-being in workplace, the reality is a bit more conflicted.
After all, shorter days of sunlight, heavier workloads and personal pressures affect productivity levels as employers are also expected to keep teams motivated.
According to Dr. Sandra Primiano, social interactions also decline during this period, which can exacerbate feelings of isolation. She explained that even for people who generally enjoy the holidays, “there’s still social pressures, financial obligations that are going to cause strain,” along with complex family dynamics and work-related deadlines.
“It's not necessarily joyful for people who are lonely, who don't have a lot of family and connection, because then everybody’s talking about parties and get togethers, and they’re not necessarily going to experience the same thing,” noted Primiano, senior director of EAP at Dialogue.
As a result, Primiano and other employers are spreading holiday cheer through office parties, company lunches and staff outings.
“Around this time of year, we're trying to make the office more festive to increase people's mood. We’re also decorating, having more treats available and do more catered lunches and events around the holidays to help people stay connected,” explained Primiano.
“That’s what it's about. We’re trying to get more people to come to the kitchen to talk and connect. If you can create more engagement and connection and positive experiences, that can help with the with the gloomy, cold days,” she added.
For Danny Di Meo, president and founder of Caliber Homes, construction work adds pressures like cold, shorter days, and year-end project deadlines. Ahead of the holidays, Di Meo is focusing on proactive support, recognition, and ensuring his employees take vacation, noting that “paying attention to moods, needs, and whether your employees are using their benefits is extremely important.”
To support employees, his team holds separate celebrations for office and site crews, tailored to their work realities, fostering appreciation and connection.
Yet, in a month like December, where seasonal depression starts hitting hard, does Christmas time really bring cheer?
“Without question, the holidays bring a lot of emotion, and that can be both positive and hard… The holidays can be hard for a lot of people,” said Heather Haslam, VP of marketing at ADP Canada, adding that the lead-up to the holidays gives employers a practical opening to strengthen culture, starting with something often dismissed as superficial.
She emphasized that social gatherings serve a functional purpose by helping colleagues see each other as full people, not just roles.
“When you create opportunities for teams to come together, it provides an opportunity for people to learn more about each other,” she said. “That team dynamic is a big benefit of what those team socials are for. Having a work friend or is important around job satisfaction and productivity and is crucial for mental health because it reduces stress and burnout, boosts engagement and improves innovation. Employers shouldn’t underestimate the value of that.”
For Haslam, human connection remains the foundation of effective support, particularly during periods of heightened stress. She argued that the holiday season creates a natural pause for employers to engage directly with employees and better understand what they need, rather than relying on assumptions.
Those conversations, she argued, are what help create workplaces where people remain engaged, avoid disengaging quietly, and feel supported both at work and beyond it.
WTW’s Erin Young also emphasized the importance of equipping people managers with the skills and resources to support employees effectively. She noted that “having a level of baseline training, skills like active listening, empathy, go a very long way with employees.”
“Oftentimes, employers have these very robust benefits. It's one thing to listen to the needs of an employee, but people leaders need to know where to point them and ensuring that they have those resources available,” said Young, senior director of health, equity and well-being at WTW, pointing to EAPs, virtual therapy, or resilience initiatives.
On an organizational level, Young highlighted flexible scheduling and workload management as key tools, especially around the holidays. She acknowledged that some employers implement mandatory shutdowns between Christmas and New Year’s to allow employees time to decompress and spend time with family.
She also underscored how social engagement can also play a critical role as bringing teams together through holiday parties, offsites, virtual gatherings, or volunteer opportunities helps strengthen connection and morale while also creating an environment where employees feel supported both personally and professionally.
Well-being is year-round
When it comes to workplace benefits, however, both Young and Lindsey Gage-Cole emphasized they should be meaningfully connected to longer-term wellness and mental health initiatives rather than being limited to seasonal gestures, underscoring that employees should feel valued year-round, not just during the holidays.
“Well-being drives performance, not the other way around. Focusing on mental health year-round ensures support is accessible long before seasonal pressures hit,” said Gage-Cole, chief transformation officer at GroupHEALTH Benefit Solutions, in a statement to BPM.
This includes offering diverse care options, in-person counselling, virtual therapy, mental-health apps, and around-the-clock medical support, “so employees can get help when public systems are overloaded or closed.”
Looking ahead to the new year, Primiano highlighted that January can be a particularly challenging month for employees because the holidays often disrupt routines, leave people tired, and unsettle family schedules.
She emphasized the importance of proactively communicating the availability of benefits, noting that “this is when we see a big peak in utilization in terms of mental health services in EAP, in extended mental health programs, in primary care for physical health.”
According to Gage-Cole, ensuring well-being in early 2026 requires shifting from seasonal support to sustained prevention. Winter brings shorter days, reduced sunlight, and post-holiday financial stress, so employees often need continued support even after the festive period ends. She noted employers should maintain the same level of communication they prioritize in December, like open conversations about workload along with a culture where asking for help is normalized.
“Well-being shouldn't be siloed,” asserted Young. “As you think about certain times of the year, especially around the holidays, it might be easy to focus on things like mental health, but it really should be about creating that holistic approach to employee well-being. That is going to be the foundation that serves you strongly to create something sustainable for the full year.”
