How to keep employees motivated during and after the holidays

Towards the end of every year, the holidays present special challenges to employers. After all, employees can become preoccupied with shopping, reuniting with friends and family members, holiday parties, and special events.

Additionally, many employees take vacation days during this time, sometimes leaving skeleton crews to manage above-average workloads.

Needless to say, running a business during and after the holidays requires some special skills. Use the following tips to keep your employees motivated from late November through early January.

Provide recognition

Use the holiday season as an excuse to express your appreciation to your team. Simply by recognizing a job well done can inspire your employees to keep going through the holidays.

Although you can accompany your thanks with bonuses and other rewards, you should avoid the temptation to do more than your business can afford. After all, a simple thank you note or shout out is often more than enough, if it is genuine.

Also, avoid the temptation to offer unwarranted recognition. Instead, expect the desire for acknowledgment to motivate your underperforming employees to improve the quality of their work.

Such a tactic can become especially useful if you employ multiple teams. By creating an atmosphere of friendly competition, you can get your employees to focus on their work.

Every week, you could recognize the best performing team and reward its members with special perks. Then, in January, you can recognize the overall winners and treat them to a special meal or paid time off.

Simply put, by rewarding strong performance in terms of attendance, productivity, or quality, you can ensure the stability and profitability of your business throughout the holiday season.

Hold special events

Schedule an employee appreciation day to encourage team building while allowing your staff to blow off some steam. During such a time, you can provide special meals such as breakfast and lunch while engaging your team in goal setting opportunities.

In addition to recognizing the accomplishments of your team, you can share your vision for the future of your firm. At the same time, solicit feedback from your employees as they reflect upon the past year. Encourage open communications and respectfully respond to comments, even when they’re critical.

Don’t be afraid to get creative when planning special events. For instance, you might want to sponsor a day of paintball or rock climbing. Doing so can expose your employees to new activities while also promoting a healthy company culture.

If possible, plan events that can involve your employees family members. This can create an intimate atmosphere for your team that can also serve to support those who might otherwise experience seasonal feelings of sadness or loneliness.

Moreover, including families in your special events may have a chance to promote supportive attitudes at home. This can become particularly valuable when your employees have to work extended hours to compensate for vacationing co-workers.

Offer digital detox

With so much going on during the holidays, stress can become more of a problem than at any other time. Your employees are always connected to their work via computers and cell phones.

During the work day, require your workers to take frequent breaks as they work on computer-intensive projects. You can also help them keep their mind agile by breaking up their technology-dependent tasks with other activities.

Employees can also reduce digital stress by putting their phones in airplane mode while they’re working on important tasks. Such a practice can reduce interruptions and result in measurable productivity gains.

Help your team avoid digital overload by respecting their personal time. This means, avoid calling and texting them after hours. Such a simple commitment can improve their work-life balance and increase their productivity and job satisfaction.

Meanwhile, you can also provide formal and impromptu training sessions that help your people reduce their digital exposure. For instance, encourage your team members to ban smartphones from their bedroom to minimize interruptions.

Go with the flow

You can’t stop the holidays from coming. You also can’t stop people from wanting to take time off. So, rather than fighting reality, embrace it.

Begin by making decorating the office a team effort. Encourage people to bring in holiday treats to share with their coworkers. Play seasonal music. Look for ways to make the holidays a fun time.

Also, be flexible. If you catch your workers shopping online, try to exercise leniency. You should also consider instituting a flexible work policy that allows your employees to work some of their hours from home every week.

Do everything possible to make the holiday season easy for everyone without compromising the operation of your business.

In conclusion, a team that’s happy, healthy, and motivated will also be loyal and dependable when you need them the most. By putting people first, you can count on karma richly rewarding you and your company.