Clocking off for the Christmas break

The Christmas decorations are up at the shops, Santa is on display, and, if you're organised, your tree might have re-found its home in your living room.

The festive season has us all reflecting on the year that's been and what we're looking forward to in the year ahead.

While running a workplace management company, you'd be safe to assume we like to work, we're also excited about the chance to knock off.

Knowing that this holiday season can be spent mostly unrestricted and out of lockdowns is something we're all looking forward to.

And boy, do we deserve it.

According to research released by the HR and payroll provider ADP in September, on average, workers across Australia accumulated 7.3 unpaid hours a week - something that doesn't always correlate with payroll systems.

These unpaid hours have surged during the pandemic too, up from the 5.8 that was recorded before Covid became the most used work in our vocabularies.

The trend of working more makes sense.

With the emergence of hybrid working environments and less separation between work-life and home-life, we're more inclined to keep working away. (This also speaks to the importance of having workforce management systems and time tracking apps in place to monitor employees' hours.)

On top of this, if you're like many of us, you have a bank of annual leave accrued and left unused.

However, now that restrictions have eased and the Christmas season is fast approaching, we think it's time you start to prioritise yourself.

Take some time to rest and recharge so that you can enter the new year refreshed and ready to go.

In order to get the most out of your limited time off, new research reported in the Harvard Business Review reveals that setting an intentions list can help.

These intentions could include:

• Spending time with family
• Seeing friends
• Finally getting around to that book you've been 'meaning to read'
• Trying a new hobby
• Or binging the latest TV series on Netflix

Whatever it may be, now's the time to do it. And, according to this research, setting this list can make you 8% happier - a chance worth taking, if you ask us.

At BundyPlus, we’re excited to launch into the new year to continue delivering on our mission of redefining productivity at work and offering innovative solutions to employee management.

We’d like to thank everyone for their support over the past year, and we hope that you all enjoy a relaxing and well-deserved holiday period.

Team Bundy