The holiday season is truly upon us, and a lot of the workforce can be distracted by thinking about, planning for and chatting about holiday festivities. It can be a difficult time of year for both small start-ups and large corporations, as the festive time gets approaches, employees may start to resemble excited children on Christmas Eve.
So while the workforce is winding down, increasing pressure is put upon line managers and HR personnel to manage workload and make sure all the work needing to be completed is done! So, instead of taking the Scrooge approach, why not join in with the merriment? Lead by example, don’t let the stress of deadlines dampen your holiday spirit and get the work completed.
A great way to maintain staff’s focus and make sure that all of the necessary work gets finished is to set incentives for the workers. Although this does sound rather patronising and in an ideal world, employees should work to their usual high standards during any month of the year, this isn’t always the case.
If the business has a budget for bonuses, a brilliant way to incentivize work completion is offering the traditional holiday bonus. If this is not an option this year there are plenty of other ways to reward staff for doing a great job.
Consider allowing flexible working hours, to let employees complete all of their holiday shopping in time for Christmas. So long as they can make the time back up in the mornings and the evenings, it is a great way to help to reduce their stress levels and make the working environment a happier place to be.
If getting all of the work completed on time does mean that employees are having to work longer hours and stay later than normal then treat them a little. Maybe buy in some hot drinks and pastries, provide dinner and play Christmas tunes. Decorating the office can also make a difference, some tinsel here a Christmas tree there will help to make it an environment they’re happy to work in. Simple changes can make all the difference between happy efficient staff and resentful grumpy workers. Pitching in on the work, showing your appreciation and working as part of the team is a fantastic way to show your recognition.
Throwing the traditional holiday party is another great way to thank your staff for all of the hard work they have completed over the past year. According to Hornblower, 86% of companies throw holiday parties and 67% of employees believe that hosting a party helps improve staff morale. Whether it’s a few drinks in the office, a meal in the local restaurant or hiring out a city venue and throwing a large get together for all of the offices spread across the country it’s a great opportunity for workers to socialize out of the office space and in the case of the larger companies, put a face to the email! If your business has seen a particularly successful year, and you have offices across the globe, why not consider flying out the best performers overseas to a central location to celebrate their success? Depending on how big your corporation is, you could invite your most valued clients along as well for a full thrown affair. A central London venue could serve well as a festive destination for your end of year function.
Don’t let Christmas get on top of you. Careful planning, flexible working and rewards will keep your staff happy and productive and have you saying ‘ho ho ho’ instead of ‘bah humbug’.
Ruth Barton
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- Maintaining Productivity and Retaining Christmas Spirit - December 25, 2023
