With parties, cookies, Christmas cards, gift shopping and travel plans to distract your employees, it’s surprising they get anything done this time of year!
Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year! Even with all the chaos it may bring, people are happy, there is magic in the air and I agree with Elvis, “Why can’t every day be like Christmas?”
Regardless of the joy of the season, businesses still need to operate and need their employees to stay engaged. What is reasonable to expect from your employees? Is the policy of no personal business, no internet shopping, no personal phone calls or texts at work reasonable?
However you answer those questions, it is essential that you to make a conscious decision about how you will handle the season. Letting employees make their own decision of how much their focus and time needs to stay on work tasks could lead to a situation where you accept their behavior in the beginning and then decide to draw the line at some point, possibly in an unpopular way.
Talk about it. Discuss with employees what you expect them to accomplish in the next month. Will it be different than any other month? What will be acceptable? Can they take extra vacation because you are slow? Less time off because you are more busy? Can they use their work computer at lunch to do their shopping? What do they expect to be able to do? Set the expectation of what you want them to accomplish, reiterating goals expected to be achieved.
Have fun. This is a time of year when most everyone expects to have some fun. Provide the opportunities to do so. Maybe there is a Christmas party out of the office, a festive lunch in the office, a “Dress in your Ugliest Christmas Sweater” day, a gift swap, a paid afternoon to go gift shopping, a service project you will all do together, or a travel agent stopping in one afternoon to help with plans. Whatever might interest your team, plan the month and share the plan.
Businesses still need to operate despite the Christmas spirit that surrounds us all. Set expectations clearly and plan some fun and you’ll be good to go!