You would imagine the holiday season to be a time of great joy and cheer but because most people still have to work, holiday employee engagement initiatives become crucial to restoring holiday morale. Even if employees are not walking around moping and sighing, they are highly likely to be demotivated to work in the days leading up to the holiday season. Prioritizing holiday employee engagement can help boost productivity while also helping spread the word of employee appreciation across aisles and boardrooms.
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Holiday Employee Engagement: Boosting Employee Morale
Holiday rewards and employee appreciation are great additions to the holiday spirit but it could be smart to start by addressing the mood of your company first and understanding why holiday employee engagement plans are necessary. To an overworked and busy team, team-building activities might be highly damaging to the employee’s holiday morale when they might have to struggle to make time for it. It is essential to determine the nature of your workforce and get started with your engagement initiatives.
Assess the Mood This Holiday Season
To start with the most realistic of possibilities, it is quite likely that employees will be distracted by the upcoming holidays and ready to get off work to go spend it planning for the holiday season. Whether to go shopping or spend it with loved ones, holiday employee engagement plans might be necessary to keep them focused on work while they are on duty. Ideally, work should be adjusted months in advance to accommodate this shift but holiday bonuses and other benefits might be helpful tools to draw them back to work.
Another possibility is they might be indifferent to the holiday season. Especially considering the diversity at work today, not all employees might be celebrating due to their cultural differences. Forcing the holiday cheer on them can be highly suffocating, even as they navigate the path to being included without losing their identity. Still, the holiday morale can be shared with them in more subtle ways through team building and other employee appreciation programs that can give them something to look forward to as well.
It might also be a time of grief for many reasons, and allowing employees to excuse themselves from office events and parties is just as much a part of holiday employee engagement as inviting everyone to join in.
Festive Decorations and Atmosphere
While this might seem like an arbitrary measure, a festive atmosphere does encourage employees to get excited as well. Creating a festive ambience in the workplace with tasteful decorations and lighting can make employees feel joy at work as well, instead of restricting their excitement for the holidays to after-work hours. Allow employees to personalize their workspace or celebrations according to their cultural or personal traditions.
Holiday employee engagement doesn’t necessarily have to be about work—it can focus on helping employees feel like a part of a community. Encourage employees to participate in decorating communal spaces to build a sense of shared celebration. By taking employee input, creating planning committees, encouraging creativity, introducing team-building initiatives, and allowing spaces for communication and idea generation, employers can significantly contribute to holiday morale.
Allow Flexible Schedules and Time Off
The closer you get to the holidays, the more imperative it might be for some employees to get some time off. Whether it is because their kids are on break from school or because they need to pay greater attention to personal responsibilities, it is still an uplifting move to allow employees to take some liberties and make use of flexible schedules to get the job done.
This adds to holiday employee engagement as employees can fully dedicate their scheduled time to work or plan in advance and organize work to allow for some time off. Acknowledge the importance of work-life balance and allow employees to enjoy quality time with family and friends.
Holiday Bonuses and Rewards Work Wonders
Nothing says “We Appreciate You” like generosity does. If you are serious about shining a light on holiday morale and showing employee appreciation, plan early and budget for holiday rewards. This could include bonuses for all employees or minor gifts that can help employees feel celebrated. Turning it into a team-building award show can also be a fun way to execute it but almost all employees will hope to see some holiday rewards, not just top performers.
Explore the kind of holiday rewards you can provide, whether that involves bonuses, gift cards, additional time off, actual gifts, wellness services, or any additional benefits that are feasible for the company.
Remote and Hybrid Celebrations
It is a lot easier to boost employee holiday morale in person, however, employees working remotely can feel left out. Especially those living alone or without reliable support systems might find the holiday season to be a depressing time of the year and this can affect employee engagement during the holidays as well.
To show employee appreciation towards those who cannot celebrate in person, it is a great idea to set up virtual events without intruding too much into their time. Leverage technology for online parties, games, or virtual team-building activities that can bring employees together and help them feel part of the team.
Charitable Initiatives
If you want to boost holiday employee engagement while also giving back to your community, then engage in charitable initiatives or holiday volunteering as a team. Whether actively involved in clean-up initiatives or donation drives and soup kitchens, there are so many ways to support those who might be in a tough spot.
Doing this as a group, paired with willing colleagues, can be another great team-building opportunity while also leaving behind the rewarding feeling of holiday volunteering. Support local community projects or organize donation drives to give back during the holiday season.
Leadership Engagement
Managers and HR teams will obviously figure into employee appreciation initiatives but there is no comparing the acknowledgement that top leaders can provide. Leadership involvement is key to holiday employee engagement and including them in the celebration boosts the employee’s holiday morale while allowing leaders to connect with their employees.
Leaders should actively participate in events, engage with employees, express gratitude and demonstrate a genuine interest in the well-being of the team. If they are present for team building initiatives and holiday volunteering, that can be inspiring to employees as well.
Health and Well-Being Support
The holiday season can be a tiring one if heavy workloads, large crowds, and tight deadlines are involved in ending the year on a high note. Even otherwise, employees might be stressed and burnt out and prioritizing their well-being can help them through the low phase. Prioritize employee well-being by offering resources for stress management in whatever capacity possible.
Consider wellness programs or activities that promote mental and physical health whether it’s prioritizing physical fitness or mental wellbeing. Additional holiday rewards like gift cards for spa treatments can also be a generous way to encourage employees to prioritize self-care but other benefits like access to mental support and de-stressing spaces can also be provided instead.
The holiday season brings many emotions and experiences in tow, and planning for it in advance can help you do right by your employees. It is best to avoid generic holiday rewards that can come across as more callous than anything and invest in understanding your workforce. Assess what resources you have at your disposal and ensure you take all your diverse employees into account while planning holiday employee engagement activities. It’s time to start planning for the holiday season!