Have you had to cancel your plans this Christmas?

It’s time to set work aside for a few days and celebrate the Christmas and New Year with family and friends. That’s the plan anyway – but a quarter of the UK’s small business owners are set to miss out on Christmas celebrations this year, due to business and workload commitments.

It always disheartens me to hear that business leaders are having to forgo some precious family time to keep things ticking over. I can’t imagine there’s a single owner out there who set out to be working on Christmas Day when they started their business.

Research from Ultimate Finance, which saw hundreds of company owners quizzed, reveals that nine out of ten owners believe their business has had a negative impact on their relationships and family life. Meanwhile, 80% said a poor work/life balance has had a negative impact on their family relationships.

It’s not just Christmas that owners often have to cut short either – nearly half of the leaders questioned said they have missed a special family occasion such as a birthday.

Steve Noble, chief operating officer at Ultimate Finance, says that the “stresses and strains of running a company is constant”, putting a strain on personal relationships and isolating owners from their families.

Business psychologist Robert Stewart explained that occasions like Christmas can be “restorative” in terms of both strained personal relationships and mental wellbeing, but many are unable to find the time to benefit from the healing powers.

“I find that business leaders often struggle to strike this work/life balance, sometimes feeling guilty about ‘downtime’ despite very much wanting to more spend time with loved ones,” he added.

That conflict between personal and professional life is something I hear a lot from business owners. That’s why we take a whole person perspective when working with leaders – an approach which acknowledges that work doesn’t stop at the front door and personal matters often find their way into the office.

Agnentis Partners aims to help owners end the conflict, so that they can thrive both personally and professionally – we don’t believe that you should have to choose between the two, especially at Christmas.