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With the holiday season approaching, business owners, managers, and supervisors alike may find it challenging to maintain their employees’ morale and productivity. With twinkling lights, marshmallow-topped hot chocolate, and falling snow, distractions will be waiting around every corner. If you notice your employees daydreaming of travel, shopping sprees, and quality family time, you’ll need to put your team back on the right track. So, how can businesses keep their employees focused during the festive season?
Many companies have reward systems in place. The end goal is to retain and motivate a team of employees, one of the most valuable business assets. To revamp the reward system during the holiday season, companies can devise unique, rewarding methods. A well-thought-out reward system will keep employees focused on achieving the year-end goals between Thanksgiving and the New Year.
If you’re looking for creative ideas on how to reward your hard-working employees during the holiday season, refer to this list of productivity-boosting tips and tricks.
Gift certificates for holiday meals
Gift certificates are an affordable option to reward your employees with their favorite holiday feast. With companies like Perfect Feast, incentivizing your employees has never been easier. All you need to do is place your order online, and Perfect Feast will send the certificates directly to your doorstep. As an additional benefit, your employees can redeem their vouchers across many US stores, making it an easy solution to employee lethargy for business leadership countrywide.
How are gift certificates different from other rewards? Gift certificates aren’t like other gift cards or checks that most employers handout during the holiday season. Gift certificates are coupon-based. This model saves the employer the hassle of running purchases through the payroll.
Gift certificates are equal parts convenient and thoughtful. During the upcoming holiday season, cater to the foodie in your employees by rewarding your staff with meal gift certificates. Satisfy their cravings for turkey, ham, beefsteak, or other holiday staples. This way, your employees will think of your generosity as they gather around the dinner table with friends and family. Remember, there’s a power and nurturing quality in food.
Offer extra leave days
Time with loved ones is precious for employees and employers alike. Offering an extra leave day or two to your employee could work wonders in boosting productivity. However, be strategic. This day off could coincide with their birthday. Or you could surprise them with an extra leave day after wrapping up a time-consuming project or partnering with a big-name client.
In the world of business, downtime is scarce. Fortunately, and unfortunately, a company will always strive for an upward slope of expansion, meaning staff workloads are bound to increase.
Understandably, business owners often try to squeeze every ounce of productivity out of their employees in the average workday, both in the interest of skyrocketing sales and maximizing their employees’ time and salaries. But truth be told, you can spare any employee for a single day— no matter how critical they are. Give your valuable employees the time they need to recharge amongst the hustle-and-bustle of Christmas and Hanukkah shopping. This extra leave’s impact is well-worth its detractions.
Offer flexible working hours
If an employee can work from home, allow them to, as long as you agree on deliverables. It doesn’t make sense for your employees to waste time and resources in traffic for tasks they can perform while working remotely. Encouraging remote work is also one way to adhere to the CDC-recommended COVID-19 preventative measures. When temperatures drop and virus contraction rates spike, you’ll want to keep your employee as healthy as possible.
Remember, time is money. Maximize your employees’ time by saving them the time usually spent commuting. Rather than waiting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, your employees can use this opportunity to complete that urgent task.
Sponsor a volunteer day
To put your employees in the holiday spirit, organize a day to give back to your community. Allot your employees a day or half a day to volunteer at a charity of their liking. Depending on their personal preferences, they could volunteer individually or express interest in volunteering as a company. This gesture gives your employees a sense of fulfillment and goodwill.
Celebrate with them
There’s no reward quite like thoughtful appreciation. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, show your gratitude for your employees’ hard work, dedication, loyalty, and ingenuity. Celebrate the year’s achievements together and acknowledge their effort in a formal event setting. Motivate them to maintain the same trajectory in the coming year by toasting their accomplishments at a holiday party.
A nine-to-five schedule’s monotony can be physically and mentally draining. Breaking up your regular work schedule with an end of year party can give your employees a burst of motivation. After all, who doesn’t like parties? For optimal results, remember to sprinkle in a dash of holiday spice into your event.
Don’t make it just another board meeting. In advance, plan for your employees to exchange Christmas gifts through fun games like Secret Santa. You could also use the party to present awards to the best-performing employees.
As a business, you could even show your appreciation to your employees by sending them personalized cards. It could be a festive holiday wishes card or a thank-you note. Your employees will feel valued like never before with this handwritten note.
Parting shot
With the end of the year approaching, business owners and employees will be under a significant amount of stress to boost sales. The constant pressure can wear out employees. Little tokens of appreciation can go a long way in improving company morale without necessarily breaking the bank. This festive holiday season, creatively reward your employees and end the year on a high note.
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This content is brought to you by Jana Gray.
Photo: Shutterstock