How to turn end-of-year stress into an opportunity

If you’ve ever participated in a race, then you know: there’s a difference between trying to run fast and trying to beat someone. 

Humans are innately competitive and the psychology of that cuts both ways—if we’re winning, we’re propelled forward and performing better. But as studies show, when runners realize they’re losing, their effort drops—almost guaranteeing the outcome.

The effect is similar to what happens when leaders set the bar too high as employees approach the end of the year. The fourth quarter is already a high-stress period, with holiday plans, family obligations, upcoming vacations, and year-end reporting pressures. It can be demoralizing for an overwhelmed team to be burdened with even more tasks. 

When that happens, effort and morale inevitably dip.

At Jotform, as the days get shorter and holidays near, we recognize that motivation and productivity can wane. But maintaining momentum is critical to finishing strong and hitting the ground running in the new year. Here’s how we manage Q4 stress and keep morale high at the workplace. 

Set realistic expectations 

I couldn’t agree more with the idea that dreaming big is essential for achieving big things. But after two decades as a business owner, I’ve learned that scaling gradually is sustainable. Scrambling to succeed can lead to costly missteps—failed product launches, hiring mistakes, customer service snafus, and more—so it’s essential to resist the urge to rush, especially in the final quarter when the instinct is strong to tackle as much as possible.

One solution is to set more realistic expectations and that starts with understanding where your employees are at, in terms of workload and bandwidth. As Harvard Business Review notes, managers that seek to understand their employees, including their challenges, are the most connected and trusted by their teams. 

Start by checking in with teams and individual employees and determining what needs to be done—not your loftiest goals, but rather, the essentials—and how much they can feasibly take on. If employees have to choose between important tasks, encourage them to prioritize tasks with the highest impact, emphasizing impact over urgency.

Then, work with employees to figure out how to help them hit those marks and provide what they need to accomplish their goals effectively. Maybe that means slightly more end-of-year flexibility. Maybe it means providing additional resources or giving them the green light to tap someone from another department. Leaders are in the best position to support employees in achieving realistic objectives without sacrificing their wellbeing. 

Prioritize open communication

It’s no secret that employees across sectors are struggling with mental health. A recent Gallup poll found that fewer than one in four employees felt their organization cared about their well-being. 

One of the most powerful things leaders can do is to communicate—in this instance, more is more. Studies have found that employees who felt their managers were not good at communicating were 23% more likely to experience mental health declines. As stress levels rise during the fourth quarter, open communication is more critical than ever. 

For starters, managers can check in with employees to gauge how they’re feeling. Don’t underestimate the power of a DM or a couple sentences in an email—a quick message to express your concern can have an outsized impact. 

Ensure that employees are aware of the resources available to them—if those resources are shared on a public forum, make sure you share them again. In one study, 46% of all workers said that their company had not proactively shared the organization’s mental health resources. It’s a pretty remarkable oversight that can be easily corrected.

Finally, make sure you’re readily available to all employees so that they can come to you directly with any questions or concerns regarding Q4 goals or tasks. Whether it’s an open-door policy or regularly sharing your calendar slots for a private chat, make your availability conspicuous. 

Strategically plan before & after Q4

Leaders know that the fourth quarter will be hectic. While the drive to finish strong is high, so is the need to fully disconnect. I’m a big believer in the need to take a real vacation and spend quality time with my family, both for my mental health and for my long-term motivation and performance on-the-job. At the end of the year, it may feel like you can’t imagine taking time off, but it’s essential—you just need to prioritize it.

In order to accomplish these competing objectives, it’s important to plan Q4 early. Even in Q3, start discussing Q4 priorities to ensure a balanced year-end workload. Make sure that all employees are on the same page, and factor vacation into the equation. 

Mapping out a productive and low-stress Q4 also requires looking ahead to Q1 in the new year. Reflect on the prior year’s high and low points—where did you succeed and where did you struggle? Set your goals for the new year, both the concrete and conceptual: set your KPIs but also, envision how you want to do things better. Ensure that the micro-goals align with your broader business objectives. Ask yourself: are these goals leading you to where you want to be, what you want to become, as a company, big picture?

Above all, remember that a thoughtful start to Q1 depends on a rested, motivated team. That’s why Q4 should be about focused, achievable goals that foster momentum, not burnout. By encouraging open communication, setting realistic expectations, and thinking ahead, you can transform the year’s end from a frantic finish into a solid springboard.