Keeping Employees Motivated During the Holidays

Pivot International  |   December 01, 2016

The holidays are a wonderful time to slow down and spend some much-needed time with friends and family.

However, as enjoyable as the holiday season is, it can also make it harder for employees to concentrate on their projects. If you’re working on a new product that you need to get out the door, that can present a problem.

As a leader in your company, there are many things you can do to help your employees stay motivated during this busy time of year, and ensure your project stays on track.

Be aware of potential issues when scheduling deadlines.

One way to minimize missed deadlines is to take into account potential issues before you set them.

During the holidays, that can mean knowing who is celebrating when, and arranging a project timeline to fit. For example, is your lead product designer celebrating Hanukkah? Get the dates when she’ll be out and either have her complete her part of a project early, or be content with pushing the deadline later.

If possible, avoid scheduling major deadlines around holidays – while it may set your schedule off a bit, you’ll likely save yourself and your staff major headaches. You’ll also aid in reducing workplace stress, which can be high around the holidays already.

Offer awards or rewards for employees who go above and beyond.

A sincere “thank you” goes a long way toward motivating your employees, especially during the holidays when everyone is busier than usual. Make a point of thanking your employees face-to-face if you can – if you can’t, send a personal email or give them a call at their desk.

You may also want to give your managers a chance to hand out small rewards for employees who are excelling or putting in extra time.

Get more face time with employees.

So many C-level executives find that they don’t get as much face time with their employees as they may like. Our jobs tend to keep us either in constant meetings or traveling, which can make it difficult to be present with our lower-level employees.

What better time to address this issue than during the holidays? This holiday season, make a point of getting out of your office for a while to talk to your employees in person and spend some time in different departments – especially those you don’t visit often. Express your gratitude for what your staff does for the company, and let them know how important their work is. It’s a relatively small action that can greatly help motivate your employees.

Remember that employees have families too. Try to accommodate their time off needs as best you can.

Especially during this special season, you’ve got to remember that your employees have families too – families with whom they’d like to spend as much time as possible. Be as flexible as your projects will allow when it comes to granting leave and time off.

The best way to ensure that employees receive the time off they want is to start the process well in advance. Set a deadline for time off requests that is early enough to allow your managers adequate time to review and grant them as possible.

Set clear expectations and take a more proactive management role as needed.

Help your staff succeed by clearly communicating your expectations ahead of time. Let employees know that you’re aware the holidays can be a distracting time, but that certain goals have to be met regardless.

Go over the schedule for the next month or two, discussing project timelines and any deadlines, as well as the days your business will be closed.

If necessary, take a more proactive role as a manager to help your employees stay focused. Consider having weekly check-ins or status updates with your direct reports so that projects stay on track.

The holidays can be a distracting and stressful time to be at work, so it’s important to do what you can to help your employees stay present, positive, and motivated. That way, you’ll not only send your employees off to their families happy and satisfied – you’ll also ensure that productivity doesn’t take too much of a dip.