How to boost employee productivity during the holiday season? (….4 simple strategies to keep your employees focused during holiday season)

Festive season approaches with bevy of holidays, shopping and fun - but, for most businesses it is the least productive time of the year. With all the shopping and holiday drama – employees tend to lose interest or get disengaged at work. Balancing between holiday buzz and employee productivity may sound tough - but experts suggest that implementing a holiday-friendly working atmosphere will boost employee productivity and morale at the workplace.

Let’s take a quick look at a few of them.

1. Set your expectation clear:

It is normal for employees to expect some time off and react if leaves are rejected, especially during the holiday season. An effective way to get past such tough situations is by keeping your calendar transparent and setting your expectations clear. Let your employees know - who is going on a vacation, who is covering for whom and when.

By this way, you’ll improve collaboration and communication among your team members – so, each can plan their vacation days without affecting team productivity and in synchrony with each other. You can also avoid putting off critical client projects to the very last minute and then rushing to complete them, when your team is in a celebration mood.

2. Engage in friendly competitions:

Though festive season is all about fun and distraction, project deadlines and client requirements remain the same. Managers can counteract the holiday mood by setting SMART goals and stressing on the importance of achieving them, for both individual and business growth. Keep a track of how they perform and make sure to appreciate employees when project deadlines are met. As a result, you can see an increase in employee productivity while helping them embrace their holiday celebration.

3. Give feedback and motivate your employees:

According to a report, 86% of employees say being recognized for their job motivates them to be more productive. Employers can utilize this opportunity to celebrate employee achievements and give feedback on missed opportunities for years gone by. You can also conduct sessions to discuss your business goals and opportunities that are in store for the upcoming year. By doing this, you are setting your expectations clear for the year ahead while motivating them to be more productive and making them feel appreciated for the work they’ve done.

4. Create a “holiday-friendly” atmosphere:

If your employees are working from the office, you can create a festive atmosphere and give them a cheerful vibe. Allow your employees to decorate their workplace/bay with colorful décor items - to match with their festive spirit. To further elevate the fun factor – encourage them to come up with creative ideas and conduct team building activities – but, make sure there is a balance between the time spent on fun activities and your client/customer portfolio, so it doesn’t affect your employee productivity in any way.

Final thoughts on boosting employee productivity…

It is the responsibility of managers to keep employees focused without faltering from performing day to day operations– especially during this period of time. Instead of leaving employee productivity to chance, implementing a holiday-friendly work environment will improve employee performance, productivity and morale.

You can also consider implementing productivity monitoring software and give your employees an opportunity to realize how productive they are in a given day.