With the festive season on us personal obligations along with work can really pile up for your employees. With so much going on and people’s minds on other things it can be easy for them to lose focus at work. As an employer and business owner, what can you do to keep business on track and keep everyone focused on work?
Annual leave
In the lead up to busy holiday periods it is always good to have reminded employees of the annual leave policy. It is also important to ensure that line managers always coordinate with their direct reports well in advance, about when they are taking leave and to manage this throughout the year. This will help to plan ways to approve leave fairly and distribute work during periods when lots of staff are taking holiday.
Set clear objectives and regular communication
Regular communication is key throughout the year, but particularly important during busy periods and when people are more likely to be focused on other things. Employees need to know what is going on, this includes who’s going to be away from the workplace and when projects or deadlines are due.
Ensure that everyone is aware of who is working on what and who needs to be picking up work when others are away. Don’t forget to include anyone who works remotely. People will appreciate the updates and reminders of what is coming up and it will help to keep them focused on their goals and objectives, when they might otherwise be more easily distracted.
Even though it is the festive season it is business as usual, so don’t let things slide or put things off until January. Setting attainable goals and objectives throughout December is a great way, to ensure that people stay focused and remain motivated. Just don’t set unachievable goals, as this can cause stress and leave people disengaged.
Discuss the objectives for the coming year ahead to keep everyone moving forward and driving the business into 2018.
Recognise achievements and say thank you
Take the time to reflect on individual achievements and contributions over the year and remind people of how you appreciate these achievements and contributions. Being positive and acknowledging hard-work is a great way to show your appreciation and can really help to motivate and keep employees focused on work.
Enjoy the festive season
Let’s face it people can start to lag towards the end of the year, so why not create a festive atmosphere to give people a bit more oomph!
Keeping everyone focused on work and not switching off to enjoy the festivities can be a difficult balancing act. But by acknowledging the festive season and switching things up your employees will appreciate the effort.
Obviously, you need to be mindful that this time of year can mean different things to each person and being respectful of this is vital. Whether, it is employees of different faiths, no faith or for personal reasons they may find it a difficult-time. By taking the time to talk to and listen to your employees, you can be mindful of what is and isn’t an appropriate way to enjoy the festivities.
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