The holidays are a double whammy this year as most employees continue to work from home and prepare for a different kind of holiday season. Additionally, some employees work in a small space with a partner working remotely, children learning remotely, or roommates working from home.
With most interpersonal relationships remaining remote for now, it can be difficult for employees to stay motivated and give work their full attention during the holiday season.
Getting Motivated Through the Holidays
With all of the above in mind, we wanted to provide a “how-to” for encouraging employees as they continue to work remotely while also handling holiday stress. We would also like to put in a note here that you can use many of these techniques – including providing rewards – on yourself to keep you motivated as you lead employees through the home stretch and wrap this year up with a bang.
First, provide stability
There are many moving parts to tackle during this time of year. This is only exacerbated by remote work and changes in our personal lives. One stable thing that an employee ought to be able to hold on to is his or her job.
If an employee is doing a good job and is getting their work done, be sure to let them know how they are contributing to keeping your company there and functioning. This could be done with a simple, personal message or a longer staff meeting that shares how each employee has been integral to the company’s success this year.
Reminding employees that they can count on their job and that your company is built to last is essential to providing stability. If that’s not something you can offer, we invite you to consider why this is.
Is your company built on firm foundations? Are you able to stay agile and pivot as things change? What can you do to create stability and future growth in your business?
Contact Business Success Consulting Group for partners in examining these questions. Remember, you deserve this stability as well.
Get holiday time off sorted out early
While many employees are not traveling this year, they still may need time off to help their children, celebrate other holidays, or to take their vacation time. If you haven’t already gotten the holiday schedule from your employees, be sure to do so.
Tie rewards to performance
The holidays are a great time to amp up the competition within the office and reward high performers. Creating games and performance incentives are excellent strategies for motivating employees. Just be sure to offer a reward that the employee can use and actually wants. For example, a spa gift card may not be very useful right now – maybe instead offer a cash reward or a great holiday gift basket.
Give your employees a place to collaborate
Collaboration and coordination are always vital around the holidays. It’s also usually a time when employees forge interpersonal connections with one another, sparking future creativity. While in-person get-togethers may not be possible right now, find a way to create online connections.
Video conferencing software may work for your office holiday party, or creating a holiday channel in your messaging platform may work. It may also be fun to build out a few interdepartmental virtual “coffee breaks” into the schedule, allowing departments that rarely work together to chat and catch up. All of these options allow your employees to build on the camaraderie that they normally would have forged in-person.
Even if you are working in-person, it’s vital to give employees this time and space for collaboration and creativity. So, ensure you are providing safe ways to meet up and create interdepartmental connections.
Build a wind-down or wind-up time into the day
Many of us begin our day with a meeting and then jump right into work, working until the last possible second before closing down our laptops or shutting off our desktops.
This schedule provides no time to organize and get up-to-date with industry changes. Instead of the “jump right in and muscle through the day” method, work with employees to create times for organization and training throughout the day and week. This provides some breathing room for employees to sit back and strategize – thereby more effectively and efficiently accomplishing their tasks.
Creating space for employees to perform at their best, even under adverse conditions, will allow them to stay motivated to give you 100% of their time and attention. You can also use the above strategies to keep yourself motivated as you continue to lead your employees into 2021.
Are you ready to build more stability into your business? Contact Business Success Consulting Group today!
