Keep Your Employees On Track: Productivity Hacks for The Holiday Season

01 Dec Keep Your Employees On Track: Productivity Hacks for The Holiday Season

What a year it’s been! Maybe more like two years, if we’re being honest. As pandemic restrictions continue to relax this holiday season and people are eager to get together and have some fun, it feels like a turning point. That’s something worth celebrating! 

However, don’t take your foot off the gas just yet. The last few weeks of the year are essential for wrapping up projects, writing reports, meeting deadlines, and wrapping up 2021 on a high note. 

Here’s some advice on how to keep your team focused and on track to end the year strong. 

1. Be reasonable and, if possible, flexible.

You know your employees are juggling responsibilities at home with tasks at work. If possible, help them out by offering flexible scheduling and hours, allowing them to work longer days to leave earlier on Friday, for example, or start later in the day to get some errands done in the morning. If remote work is an option, make sure they know they’re welcome to use it. By helping them have the time to mark items off their personal to-do list, they won’t be tempted to try and get those things done during the workday. 

2. Avoid overtime if possible.

The last thing your employees want is to be asked to work longer hours than needed. It’s different during the year: Overtime means either more time off or extra money in their paychecks, but during the end-of-the-year rush, more hours at the office means less time at home to address priorities and demands there. But propose this as a deal you’re making with your employees: You won’t ask for, or require, over time so long as they continue to stay focused and keep their concentration on work while on the clock. Fair is fair, and they’ll understand your expectations. 

3. Go ahead and have a little fun.

You’re the boss, and, by definition, you have to drive a hard bargain and do what you need to do to get things done. But you’re also a person. Be a post-ghost Scrooge and a post-singing Grinch: welcome and embrace the holiday spirit. As appropriate, encourage some merriment, in the form of a friendly decorating contest or a festive spread of cookies or gingerbread houses. Nothing too crazy, but it’s good for people to blow off steam together, especially at this time of year, especially this year. 

4. Remind people to use their PTO.

If flexible hours and shifts aren’t possible, or feasible, remind your employees that they can use their time off. To help make it fair and provide everyone a chance, put up a calendar for the last few weeks of the year and the first few weeks of next year and have people either initial the days they’d like off, on a first-come-first-granted basis, or clearly note which days are already spoken for and therefore are off-limits. This will also help you keep track of who’s in and who’s out at a glance. 

5. Provide a year-end pep talk.

If you start to feel like you’re losing the room, so to speak, bring your team together and let them know where things stand. Talk about the struggles of the year behind you and the goals and opportunities of the year ahead. Remind your employees how important they are to the company’s success and how much you value them, gently stressing how critical it is that you all keep working and pull together to end the year on a positive note. This can help refocus your employees on the big picture and their role in it. When people feel valued and important, they have extra incentive to commit and invest their time for the greater good. 

The holidays are a time for reflection as much as celebration. Keep your team together and focused, and you’ll all make it through the holidays together. 

Build Your Team for 2022

If you’re looking to add to your team after the holidays to keep your company going strong in 2022, contact LeadingEdge Personnel. We have great candidates looking for the right opportunity to make a difference. Call LeadingEdge today, and let’s get to work!