The Holiday Hustle: Why Americans Can’t Switch Off
- Jonathan H. Westover, PhD
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
For millions of Americans, Christmas isn’t a silent night –it’s just another workday with uglier sweaters. Our national “time off” has been quietly rebranded as “time you can still be reached,” and the numbers show a workforce stuck between needing rest and fearing the cost of taking it.
The holiday season used to be a reliable moat: a few protected days where capitalism dimmed and family time took the main stage. That moat is gone. A full 37% of Americans expect to work during their Christmas/New Year break, and a majority will be checking email like it’s a competitive sport. This isn’t a story about holiday traditions - it’s a story about a workforce that’s financially strained, technologically tethered, and psychologically conditioned to fear disconnection.
As job insecurity rises and the cost of living keeps punching above its weight class, the American holiday is becoming a case study in economic pressure and cultural burnout.
The New Normal: Working While “Off”
The foundational stat of the study foreshadows everything else:
37% expect to work during the holiday break.
51% will check emails or do “light tasks".
Plain-English take: the majority of workers will be working a little or a lot. The boundary between “break” and “business” is no longer a line; it’s a suggestion. Workers aren’t disconnecting - they’re simply relocating themselves and their laptops to a festive environment.
Money Is the Grinch
Follow the incentives, and the picture becomes clearer:
57% of those working say they need the extra income.
35% plan to freelance or side-gig during the break.
32% already maintain side gigs year-round.
This is the macroeconomic equivalent of watching someone bail water out of a boat with a paper cup. People aren’t working because they want to win Employee of the Month - they’re working because the American financial engine demands it. Holidays don’t suspend bills. They amplify them.
Employers Aren’t Blameless
Workers aren’t the only ones eroding the holiday. Companies are helping.
18% say their employer contacts them constantly during time off.
34% say “a few times.”
21% have been denied holiday leave outright.
In other words, more than half of workers have been pinged by their employer mid-vacation, and one in five can’t take the break in the first place. That’s not a cultural shift — it’s a structural failure of boundaries.
The Emotional Toll: Guilt, Shame, and Anxiety
The psychological fallout is the story behind the story:
81% feel anxious fully unplugging.
67% feel guilty staying connected.
77% feel they’re letting loved ones down.
This is the modern worker’s trilemma:
Disconnect and feel anxious.
Stay connected and feel guilty.
Try to balance both and fail at both.
We’ve engineered a system where people feel bad no matter what they choose. That’s not flexibility - that’s emotional taxation.
Holiday Fear Factor: Job Security Paranoia
Workers aren’t just checking email - they’re checking their backs.
27% are very anxious that taking a real holiday hurts their job security.
41% are “a little” anxious.
That’s 68% of workers who believe rest is a reputational risk.
Even more revealing:
44% plan to update their CV over the break.
36% plan to apply for new jobs.
The American holiday is becoming a part-time job search camp. People rest with one eye open and one tab open.
Families Pay the Price
Work doesn’t just colonize mindshare - it takes physical time.
11% will skip family time entirely due to work.
16% will reduce time with loved ones.
Nearly one in five people will give up meaningful holiday moments - the very thing the holiday is for.
This isn’t “hustle culture.” It’s loss. Loss of presence. Loss of connection. Loss of memories that can’t be rescheduled
The Self-Blame Industrial Complex
The saddest finding isn’t about work - it’s about self-perception:
32% strongly blame themselves for not being further ahead financially.
37% somewhat blame themselves.
A full 69% carry financial self-blame into the holidays. Not the economy. Not wages. Not inflation. Themselves.
A workforce that feels responsible for systemic problems is easier to exploit, more willing to overextend, and less likely to push back when boundaries erode.
Christmas Eve & Christmas Day: The Line That’s Fading
Even the most sacred days aren’t protected:
10% work because it’s simply their schedule.
18% work to make extra money.
Nearly three in ten Americans will be working on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
If the holiday’s purpose is reflection, connection, and slowing down - America is failing the assignment.
Looking Ahead
The future doesn’t have to look like this. If companies want resilient workers, they need to model and mandate real rest. Leadership must make unavailability acceptable, not punishable. Policymakers should treat time off as infrastructure, not luxury. And workers need explicit, guilt-free permission to hit “Do Not Disturb.”
If we want a healthier, more productive workforce in 2030, we need a cultural correction in 2025. Because right now, the only thing Americans are truly disconnecting from is the idea of a meaningful holiday.
Methodology: This report is based on a U.S. holiday-work survey conducted by JobHire.AI in 2025. Respondents completed a structured questionnaire about their plans and behaviors during the Christmas and New Year period, including whether they expect to work, their reasons for doing so, financial pressures, employer contact, emotional well-being, and job-search or freelancing intentions. Some response options allowed multiple selections, so percentages may exceed 100%. All figures represent the share of respondents who selected each option.
