The holidays are a time filled with both excitement and anxiety. Holiday stress can start as early as Halloween when stores start putting up holiday decorations. The clock in our head starts ticking which creates stress and pressure. Your employees will have a lot more on their minds than usual.
As an employer, you can help keep employees productive and positive during the holiday season. Happy, productive teams are responsible for the success of your organization so try some of these strategies to help alleviate their stress:
- Be accommodating and flexible about work hours.
- Simplify what you do as a company. Have fewer parties and keep it simple when it comes to holiday gift giving.
- Increase awareness, acknowledgement and recognition of staff.
- Keep everyone in the loop on scheduled vacations, special events, and deadlines so staff can manage their time and workloads effectively.
- If you see signs of stress in employees, talk to them in an empathetic way. Help them think of ways to balance their work duties with their holiday demands. Be a good listener.
- Be sensitive to cultural differences during the holidays.
Showing your employees you care about their well-being during the holidays will foster a healthy work environment that lasts year round! For help with employee relations and other human resource issues, contact The Flanders Group at 800-462-6435.