A new national survey suggests a large share of employees mentally downshift well before the calendar flips, embracing a slower pace as the year winds down — even if they’re still technically on the clock.
Talker Research found that Monday, Dec. 15, marks the last “hard-working” day of the year for the average worker. Nearly half of those employed, 47 percent, said they hope they can get by doing very little for the remainder of December.
The survey of 1,117 employed Americans asked respondents to pinpoint when it becomes acceptable to take things easier at work. While Dec. 15 was the average answer, the most commonly selected date was Tuesday, Dec. 24, with 11 percent saying work should only ease up starting Christmas Eve.
Not everyone agrees with the slowdown. About 35 percent of workers said it is never acceptable to ease up on the job, even during the holidays.
The research also captured just how checked out some workers feel. On average, respondents said they had already used the phrase “That can wait until next year” 16 times this season.
Younger workers were far more likely to admit they are coasting. The survey found 54 percent of employed Gen Z workers and 48 percent of millennials said they are hoping to do less toward the end of the year. That compares with 44 percent of Gen X workers and 37 percent of employed boomers.
James Robbins, co-founder and editor in chief of Employer Branding News, said the shift is less about laziness and more about burnout.
“Every year, in December, when we’re at the end of the year, and everyone’s mentally closing out the year before they even do, in terms of the actual calendar, I see it all the time in my coverage of workplace culture,” Robbins said. “It’s not that people are being lazy; it’s that their brains have reached a level of cognitive fatigue from having pushed decision-making for 11 months, which is why they’re looking for a natural break in their workflow.”
That fatigue showed up elsewhere in the data. The employee findings were part of a broader Talker Research lifestyle survey of 2,000 Americans, which found many people are postponing major goals until 2026, including saving money, cited by 36 percent, exercising and getting healthy at 29 percent, and tackling DIY projects at 23 percent.
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