The holiday season is a time to rest, relax, and recharge so people can start the new year strong. Yet many spend it juggling increased end-of-the-year workloads, celebrations, shopping, and other holiday plans, which can be especially taxing.
So whether your company shuts down for Christmas or operates as usual, it’s vital to promote employee well-being during the holidays to reduce stress and boost productivity in the workplace. Here’s how to help your staff maintain a good work-life balance during the holiday season.
Teach employees the importance of a good work-life balance
It’s a good idea to educate your teams about why it’s physically and emotionally important to have a good work-life balance. Explain to your employees that taking time off work keeps them from burning out and helps them to stay motivated. Encourage them to use their vacation days to enable them to be more productive on their return.
Offer a flexible working schedule
Providing staff with more control over their work schedule makes them happier and allows them to meet personal needs and obligations conveniently. For instance, you can let them choose their days off to coincide with other happenings in their lives, such as visiting relatives. You can even offer unpaid holiday leave for those who require extra days. After all, it can be a struggle for employees to balance the demands of the workplace with those of family life.
Offering a flexible working schedule also makes for contented employees. For example, allowing your staff to work for four days instead of five by adding an extra two hours to a normal workday means they can have a day to meet up with friends or do some holiday shopping. Offering this to your employees lets your business benefit from increased employee morale, engagement, and commitment to the organization.
Related reading: Stress-management tips for your remote workforce
Let employees attend to personal tasks during business hours
If your staff needs to buy Christmas presents online, away from the prying eyes of friends or family, consider allowing some time for this. Be less strict with how employees spend their workday; they can always make up for it by staying at the office or working for a while after handling their personal tasks.
Cut back on overtime or give them afternoons off
Working overtime or during the weekends may be necessary at times, but it doesn’t have to happen during the holiday season. Some staff may want to work longer to finish all their tasks, but others may feel guilty or upset about spending less time with friends and family. Your best bet is to stick to standard work hours over the holidays and reduce the need for extra hours.
It also helps to give employees unscheduled time off without it affecting their pay, especially if they have been working hard all year long. You don’t have to do it regularly or often, but giving them afternoons off once in a while can make a welcome difference to their work-life balance.
Set a good example
If you are encouraging your employees to leave work on the dot but you’re still sifting through reports an hour after the end of their shift, then they may feel bad about not staying. Practice what you preach and wrap your workday on time as often as possible. You should also avoid emailing or messaging your team about work during days off. Otherwise, they may feel like they’re not really getting any breaks from their job, which could dampen their mood this holiday season.
While you help your employees look after their health and well-being, we can take care of your technology. Maintain full efficiency during the holidays by partnering with a managed IT services provider like outsourceIT. Contact us today to get started!
Related reading: Common problems solved by managed IT services
