The Christmas Crash: Why the Year-End Rush is Crushing Australian Workers - and What Workplaces Should Do About It

A burnout expert says end-of-year overwhelm must be recognized and tackled in workplaces as a systems failure, not as an individual problem. 

Nick Orchard, a burnout recovery expert with lived experience, says the end of the year has become a ‘pressure cooker’ for the Australian workforce.

“Every November and December, I see the same old story,” said Orchard, who works with businesses and individuals to prevent burnout and create conditions for sustainable success.

“Teams are sprinting toward year-end goals, leaders are trying to close deals, and everyone’s running on caffeine and fumes. We’ve normalized working until we crash, and then we call it a Christmas break. It’s not recovery, it’s collapse.”

“And it is not something that is limited to the corporate world. Tradies, business owners, teachers, every industry and sector is in the same boat, and let’s not overlook the poor retailers.”

Recent data shows burnout is on the rise. The Leading Mentally Healthy Workplaces Survey 2025 by the Corporate Mental Health Alliance Australia (CMHAA) found that 46% of employees experienced burnout, with nearly half reporting their recent performance was below their usual.  Among those, 60% are showing clear symptoms of burnout. 

Gallagher’s 2025 Workforce Trends Report paints a similar picture, with more than a quarter of employees saying they are currently experiencing burnout, alongside declining engagement and wellbeing. Meanwhile, HRD Australia reports that 81% of Australian employees have experienced burnout in the past year.

“Workplaces need to stop treating burnout as an individual weakness. The problem isn’t that people aren’t resilient enough. It’s that the way we structure work in the final quarter of the year is unsustainable,” Orchard said. 

“Deadlines stack up, budgets close, kids finish school, inboxes explode, and everyone’s pretending they can ‘push through’. It’s completely unrealistic.”

Karlie Cremin, CEO of Dynamic Leadership Programs Australia, said that every fourth quarter, she witnessed burnout in workplaces. 

“Work demands coincide with social and family pressures, leaving people with no recovery time.”

Ms. Cremin said while individual coping strategies can help, meaningful change can come from leadership modelling and systemic reform. 

“Leaders who talk openly about stress and set realistic boundaries create ripple effects through their teams. Psychological safety starts at the top.”

Orchard said the solution can’t be found in efficiency apps or time-trackers.

“You can’t productivity-hack your way out of a cultural problem.”

“We have to redesign how teams operate, how leaders communicate, and how meaningful rest is built into performance cycles. Otherwise, we’ll keep burning out our best people right before the holidays.”

A major cultural reset is long overdue, according to Orchard.

“Workplaces need to come around to high wellbeing as a driver of high performance, not as a bonus once the targets are hit,” he said. 

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Nick Orchard is an IECL-certified performance coach with nearly 1,500 hours of coaching practice and a background spanning government, non-profit leadership, teaching, and even a stint as a hip-hop artist. After experiencing a near-fatal burnout during his time as a senior executive, Nick rebuilt his life using evidence-based, gamified practices that helped him reframe limiting self-beliefs and create sustainable wins. That recovery became the foundation of The Big Refresh, his flagship eight-week coaching program designed to help professional teams, high performers, executives, and creatives beat burnout, reclaim clarity, and build lasting momentum. Nick has worked with hundreds of clients, including leaders and teams from the Victorian Government, Australian Federal Government, Arup, Carers Australia, Uniting, and the Australia and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists. He helps clients across sectors, from CEOs and government directors to award-winning creatives, navigate burnout, imposter syndrome, and self-sabotage while achieving ambitious goals without sacrificing wellbeing.