It is inevitable for the year-end festivities and holiday spirit to impede productivity in the office. Instead of fighting it, embrace it and seek alternative ways to help employees stay productive. CareerBuilder Singapore shares some tips with you.
The end of the year is usually the time where companies take stock of their achievements and assess challenges moving into the New Year. With year-end reviews, KPIs, Christmas shopping and festive celebrations to juggle, managers and employees alike have their hands full with both work-related and personal tasks.
To help businesses maintain a good balance of productivity and festive spirit, CareerBuilder Singapore has pulled together a list of to-dos during this busy season.
Meetings Are Still Important
Business leaders need to understand that Work-In-Progress meetings and sharing sessions are essential to productivity during the last two months of the year. This is where all employees know their immediate responsibilities at hand in order to avoid the last minute crunch.
For starters, line managers should take time to work with their teams to prioritise the various tasks. Less urgent deliverables can then be delegated to staff with lighter workloads, or carried over to the next month.
Next, clear goals and deadlines should be set for these activities so that the team has a clear view of what is expected of them. Staff should also be encouraged to support one another and lend a helping hand so that no one has to clock unnecessary overtime, or miss out on personal appointments.
Plan Leave Entitlements
Managers should take note of the leave balance of employees and work out a plan to help them clear it. Have a discussion with team members ahead to plan out a leave calendar to minimise disruption to operations during this festive period. Leaders can also explore the implementation of flexible working arrangements like working from home during a half-day leave, or varying working hours to help employees juggle professional and personal commitments.
Employees will definitely appreciate the little gestures by the leaders to make the December work period more pleasant.
Embrace The Festive Spirit
Unless you’re a Grinch in hiding, absolutely no one can escape the festive spirit. The easiest way that management can maintain a high morale is to embrace the fact that this time of the year is for celebration.
Once all employees are clear about their individual work tasks, business leaders can consider organising activities like a pot-luck lunch, gift exchanges or even plan an office holiday party to reward everyone’s hard work and lighten the mood in the office. These activities can also be an opportunity where new hires or different departments can mingle, share their experiences and forge greater ties.
The point to keep in mind here is that a relaxed and festive environment will do wonders for the self-esteem of your entire team.
Recognise & Reward Employees
CareerBuilder Singapore’s 2015 Employer of Choice Survey showed that 84.7% of jobseekers seek good office relations; with a further 79.1% preferring a respectful work culture where achievements are recognised. With these results on hand, business leaders should know that staff appreciation will go a long way to boost morale.
Managers should use the holiday season to show their appreciation, and honour employees for their hard work. Organisations with more budget can consider holding a year-end company off-site at nearby resort islands like Langkawi Malaysia or Bali Indonesia. The company can hold an appreciation and awards dinner at the off-site where high performing employees are rewarded with prizes such as the latest gadgets, gift vouchers or extra vacation days.
On a smaller scale, department team leads can treat their staff to a night out in town where the entire team has dinner and drinks at a fancy restaurant. The session can also be made more joyous by holding a gift exchange or a mini departmental awards presentation. These efforts – big or small – will go a long way in letting employees know that their contributions are valued, resulting in a boost of job satisfaction going into the New Year.
Business leaders must remember that their company’s strength and sustainability rides on the effectiveness of their human capital. In order to weather the uncertainties that 2016 will bring, companies should do everything they can to ensure that their employees stay positive, productive and pertinent in their tasks.
