The holiday season is just around the corner and your employees are probably busy and distracted on shopping for gifts, planning for vacations or attending different parties, charity drives, and many other social events.
With all these distractions, it may be hard for your employees to focus on their work. So here are some subtle but effective strategies on how to help them stay productive during the holiday season.
Do some planning
Talk to your team and list down all the important and urgent tasks that need to be completed within the last few months of the year. Create a schedule and assign deadlines to these tasks, then stick to it.
By having a list of what needs to be done, it is easier for your team to focus. Your team doesn’t have to waste time or be distracted in trying to figure out which tasks they need to do today.
Avoid multitasking
Not all are good at multitasking. Some employees are even terrible at it. Instead of accomplishing tasks, dividing your attention to different kinds of tasks can just slow you down. And you are likely to make a mistake when you do everything at once.
If you want your employee to be productive during the holiday season, it is best to let them focus on one task at a time. You’ll be surprised with how much time they will be able to save if they give one task their full attention.
Don’t forget to exercise
The holiday season is not a reason to postpone or cancel doing some full body exercise. Exercising during the holiday season is not just to burn all those heavy holiday meals and treats. It is also to keep your mind sharp and focused. Exercise also reduces the stress you feel in the office. And if you are not stressed, you will be less distracted at work. And when you are less distracted, you can easily focus and get jobs done.
Be flexible on office work hours
During the holidays, your employees are most likely busy attending family functions or other social events, making it difficult for them to go to work on time. Consider being flexible in their working hours. Give them the opportunity to switch up their work hours to meet their other social demands and responsibilities.
As long as they are able to perform and get things done, changing work schedules during the holiday season should not be an issue. And besides, a research study shows that, a flexible working hours can help make your employees be more productive.
Avoid overtime as much as possible
There are times that work is really demanding. However, if there’s no need to stay in the office late, allow your employees to go home on time. If a task can be finished tomorrow, then there’s no need for your team to stay late. Overtime can be a punishment during the holiday season and may affect the quality of work of your employees. But overtime can sometimes be necessary. Just make sure to keep it to a minimum.
Have fun and enjoy the holiday season
It is still the holiday season and there’s no need to be a Grinch in preventing people to be merry during this time. So embrace the season and just be creative in encouraging people to be productive during the busiest time of the year.
These are just some effective strategies that you can use to help your team be productive during this season. Feel free to share these strategies with your team. Share in the comments below if you have other suggestions that are not in this list.
Happy productive holidays everyone!
Crisel Blenda Fernandez – Digital Marketing Specialist
Crisel started her career in the industry as an information analyst for a travel risk management company in Australia. With that, she was able to hone her research and writing skills. She was also able to grow her passion in these fields. She used this passion to start her career in the Digital Marketing field that focuses on search engine optimisation (SEO), content management, and social media marketing, among others.
With these acquired skills, she is now helping Optimum Consulting with all its digital marketing activities. From website management, social media marketing, graphic design, and SEO, she is helping Optimum Consulting and all its other innovative services like Employee Life, My Employee Life, and Fllair create significant presence online.