Keep Your Team Motivated Over The Holiday Season With These 5 Hacks

CELEBRATE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

There’s no better time than the holidays to the celebrate achievements of your employees, so they can end their year on a high note. There’s no need for elaborate gifts to show your appreciation; the best ‘reward’ is often something simple like a card, and a short message that notes their professional achievements during that year.

This not only encourages them to continue these efforts, it also helps to build a positive relationship between you and your team.

ALLOW FOR FLEXIBLE WORKING

The main culprits for lowered productivity is the distraction that comes from increased engagements with family and friends. This is especially pressing for working moms and dads, as the holidays mean that the kids need more supervision.

Implementing more flexible working hours, such as allowing employees to work from home or allow them to leave the office at noon, means they’re able to get things done while looking after the kids, instead of worrying about them.

HAVE THE RIGHT ATTITUDE ABOUT ANNUAL LEAVE

The frantic scramble to get days off around Christmas is typical, but making sure the system is fair to keep everyone is happy can be difficult. We think it’s best to allow everyone with annual leave days left to be able to take at least one day off around this time, and keep it consistent among staff.

One issue to note is the importance of being aware and sensitive of different demographics within your office, as not everyone celebrates Christmas. Getting to know each employee and their needs is crucial for a happy work family.

LOOSEN UP A BIT

The holidays musters up a lot of different feelings in us, but one thing we all want is to feel share love and feel loved. Showing small gestures of appreciation during this time not only helps employees feel more excited about coming into work, it also boosts morale during this time.

Here are some of our ideas:

• Playing Christmas music
• Having a potluck lunch or wrapping party
• Burning some festive candles
• Relaxing the dress code a bit
• Having an ugly Christmas jumper day

The general idea is to see the holidays as an opportunity to reconnect with your staff, and encourage bonding among the team.

GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY

While we shouldn’t only be reminded of the need to give back around the holidays, encouraging a more relaxed environment around this time is the perfect chance to showcase your company values through charity work. Organising a volunteering day with the entire office at a food bank, homeless shelter, or orphanage is a great way to do your part for the community, and bond with your team at the same time.

Introducing this to your company culture serves as a great reminder for everyone to see the bigger picture amidst all the materialism around the holiday season.