Survival Guide For Businesses Working Through The Festive Season
For many of us, Christmas signals the beginning of a period of rest and relaxation, a time to wind down and spend time with loved ones. However, that’s not the case for everyone. Many professions, especially those in retail, hospitality, healthcare, or emergency services, experience Christmas as one of the busiest times of the year. As a result, these employees need additional support during that time to ensure that their morale remains high and their productivity doesn’t decline. In this article, we are going to explore the many ways in which you can help staff who have to spend Christmas at work.
5 Tips To Improve Spending Christmas At Work
1. Recognize Hard Work
Employees working during Christmas are forced to sacrifice precious time that could be spent resting or enjoying quality time with their families. Leaders and employers need to recognize this hard work to ensure a positive work environment. You can reward employees for their dedication in various ways, the most common one being monetary incentives, such as bonuses and overtime pay. However, non-monetary rewards can also be appreciated. These include small gifts, vouchers, and words of appreciation, either privately or publicly.
2. Create A Festive Atmosphere
Spending Christmas at work doesn’t automatically mean that you can’t feel the holiday spirit. Take the opportunity to deck the halls to make your employees’ surroundings more festive and joyful. Hang lights and decorations, and perhaps have employees decorate the Christmas tree together to foster a sense of community. If possible, allow employees to wear festive clothing, such as Christmas jumpers and accessories. These small actions can significantly impact employee morale and make this demanding time pass more easily.
3. Be Flexible Where Possible
Although this might sound challenging, offering employees some flexibility during Christmas is necessary. Even if they have to work during the holidays, employees still need time to shop for Christmas gifts, attend their children’s school performances, or prepare a festive dinner. Try to adjust employee schedules to help them enjoy the holidays while still fulfilling their job responsibilities by rotating shifts or allowing work from home. You can also offer extra time off that employees can use after the holiday rush has passed.
4. Support Mental And Physical Well-Being
The holiday season is demanding, especially when you don’t get a break from work. Employees will be tense during that time, which is why it is important to prioritize their mental as well as physical health. This can be achieved by encouraging them to take frequent breaks during long shifts so that they can unwind and have a snack. Speaking of snacks, provide some healthy options, too, to help prevent employees from indulging in too many sugary desserts. Most importantly, be honest about the workload that is expected to help everyone feel more prepared and thus reduce the risk of burnout.
5. Encourage Team Bonding
The challenges of working during the festive season can become more bearable with a strong sense of community within your organization. As the saying goes, a trouble shared is a trouble halved. To foster and enhance this spirit of camaraderie, consider organizing team bonding activities, such as Secret Santa or a Christmas-themed competition. You can also set some company-wide goals related to sales or revenue that employees can work towards and celebrate together. Holiday gatherings are also very popular among businesses, allowing employees to interact with their colleagues outside of work.
Tips For Employees Working During Christmas
So far, we have discussed what leaders can do to support employees working through the holidays. But what can employees do to get through the busiest time of the year? Let’s look at some basic tips that will help employees better navigate Christmas at work.
Communicate Your Needs
At times, the workload becomes too heavy during the holiday season, putting employee needs on the sidelines. It is important not to let this happen and communicate your boundaries as clearly as possible. If you need a specific day off or some additional support with a specific task, speak to your supervisor as soon as possible so that a solution can be found. With patience and a positive attitude, all issues can be solved, and the holiday season will be easier to get through.
Practice Self-Care
Businesses will talk about protecting your mental health, but if you don’t take action yourself, the risk of burnout will become a reality. Prioritize healthy habits during work as well as outside of it, focusing on eating healthy, getting enough sleep, and finding even a few minutes to relax. Take advantage of your worktime breaks to wind down instead of worrying about your tasks or your Christmas shopping list. This way, you will have a clear head to wrap up work responsibilities and return to the festivities.
Reschedule Festivities
What happens if there is no way to celebrate on the day of? There is no rule against celebrating Christmas on another day if that works better for your schedule. What matters is spending quality time with your loved ones, and not what the calendar on the wall says. Another thing that can get you through this stressful time is planning a trip for after the holidays. Take your holiday break in January or February and enjoy some downtime away from work after the Christmas crowds have returned home.
Conclusion
Working during Christmas can be particularly challenging, but if leaders and employees practice mutual understanding and appreciation, it can all go smoother and even end up being enjoyable. Leaders must focus on being attentive to their employees’ needs and taking the necessary steps to accommodate them while also keeping productivity levels intact. On the other hand, employees must set their boundaries, practice self-care, and maintain a positive and open attitude. By following these steps, the festive period can become a positive experience despite the increased workload.
