The clock is ticking!!! If you wish to make your holiday season merrier at your workplace, don’t afford to ignore the guidelines below for improving efficiency.
Grand office celebrations, surprise gifts from professional Santas, and year-end bonuses make the holiday season the most wonderful part of the year but probably it can be the most haywire period too in business. Holiday excitement can not only be seen in school-going kids, even working people confront the same enthusiasm for the holiday season. Thus, distraction at work is a universal sentiment.
The business calendar is generally overloaded with endless chores during the holiday season. For companies, it is the best time to augment their business, especially for retail line. More than the change in office décor, change can be noticed in productivity. Downturn in productivity is a common scenario at the workplace during the holiday season.
And, the below statistical data will help you understand the possible factors that fluctuates the productivity rate.
- Listening to music has been a popular productivity booster and it is found that it even helps 77% of employees.
- According to various studies, 55% of people become less productive when the office environment is too cold.
- As per the American Institute of Stress, 12% of employees are prone to sickness due to job stress.
- As per the Remote Collaborative Worker Survey, 77% of employees have reported improved work productivity due to working off-site, and 86% reports higher productivity working at home.
Instead of getting upset by the situation, managers or entrepreneurs should find effective ways to turn the stressful situation into a cheerful one. Small businesses should embrace enjoyable ways to sustain productivity at the workplace. The holiday season should work as an advantage and not a drawback.
First prioritize the tasks:
Squeezing a little bit of work in the holiday downtime is a real challenge and maintaining holiday harmony is even more daunting. The right way to juggle your work needs and personal life may appear difficult at first but prioritizing your task can help you make the most out of your holidays.
The holiday season is actually the busiest time of the year and since it is the end of the year, it is essential to wrap up with all pending tasks. Here’s what you can do to bring your workflow on track:
- Though the atmosphere will be at sixes and sevens, everybody would be busy planning to take leave for the festive season, it is essential to prioritize tasks for your team.
- As a leader or manager, you should ensure that all tasks are completed before the employees go on leave.
- Implement a prioritized to-do list to help your team meet their target much faster than multitasking.
- Don’t bring the employees under pressure, maintain a chilled-out environment.
- Do not utilize this period of year to launch new projects or take up initiatives as it can be very challenging and unattainable too.
- Just focus on completing projects that are already in your hand.
- Plan in advance for each and every task you have in hand. Trust the process you follow and carve out time for your self-care rituals to motivate yourself for enhanced productivity.
Welcome the festive mood in your workplace:
Your team worked hard all year and it’s time to appreciate them. Create an aura of fun and cheer to boost productivity even during the holiday season and motivate them for better performance.
All work and no play will make the office atmosphere traumatic.
- Create a festive atmosphere at your workplace itself, so that the employees can enjoy their work.
- The best way to keep productivity flowing is by organizing small and fun-filled competitions that will encourage teamwork.
- You can be your office Santa and give gifts to the team or employees who perform best or complete the task within the time frame.
- You can also celebrate by going out for lunch or dinner after the goal gets accomplished.
- You can reduce the stress level and create a festive atmosphere by playing cheerful tunes, allotting Santa pens, Santa caps, or any office equipment designed particularly for Christmas or you can take the employees for festive shopping on some afternoons
- Don’t be a work zombie, engage yourself and your teammates into celebrations and games to give a break from work to boost your vaccination.
- Though organizing a friendly contest may sound cheesy but it can work like magic. ‘Best decoration’, ‘Sweet eating contest’ and other types of festive competition bring all the team members together to help alleviate work stress and improve work efficiency.
- Keep your office festivals and celebrations informal as that might result in therapeutic relief from stress and improve work efficiency to a great deal. Keep surprise gifts and vouchers to make those events way more engaging and enjoyable.
This will reduce the stress level and add more enthusiasm in work. Just make sure that the employees do not get carried away.
Don’t allow the employees to do homework:
Time is a major factor that can heighten an employee’s stress factor. As per American Psychological Association, 69% of employees are prone to leading holiday stressor due to lack of time. And, as far as productivity is concerned, longer working hours are beneficial in boosting efficiency and productivity. To take an example, Mexico is the country with longer annual shifts on the planet but with the lowest GDP per hour.
Children are always uninterested in doing homework; similarly doing work from home is also a mind-numbing task, particularly in a holiday mood.
- Just because the employees are not able to perform work in the office, you cannot let them take it home as the distraction level is high in your comfort zone.
- Never give work-from-home chores to the employees during the festive season.
- It is impossible to work in an atmosphere where everybody is busy shopping, cooking delicacies, or decorating home.
- Try completing tasks at the office itself and let them enjoy the festival with family.
Build excitement:
Festivals are a great time for celebrating company milestones. Research highlights the fact that news of success increases the feeling of appreciation which can help boost the productivity rate among employees.
Build the thrill level at work by letting the employees know what excitement you have planned for them.
- Organize Christmas and New Year Bash, bring gifts for everybody, organize games, etc.
- Let the employees know once they are done with their duties, great excitement is waiting ahead for them.
- A friendly competition during the holiday season can ingrain fun among the employees and motivate them for a fresh start.
- Organise charitable programs and encourage all to participate. As per the study, 93% reported improved mood, 79% experienced lowered stress levels and 88% could notice increased self-esteem.
This anticipation will keep them energetic at work and lead to completing the tasks productively.
The holiday is that part of the year where your productivity can either get drained or can be amplified, it depends on how you handle the situation. A relaxed work environment is essential to maintain productivity at the workplace. Encourage the employees and keep the workplace energetic so that the employees can enjoy as well as work efficiently.
