Ways to increase employee engagement during the holiday season

The holidays are each festive and unpredictable for employees balancing personal and skilled obstacles. High demand and changing seasons require strategic leadership to facilitate employee engagement in dynamic, seasonal workflows. As different work-life priorities compete for employees’ limited attention, burnout can develop into entrenched and impact productivity.

By using effective employee engagement strategies, firms can alleviate decreased focus and increase team productivity, morale and synergy. Encouraging communication, systematizing work flow, promoting well-being and rewarding achievements are effective strategies for engaging employees during the busy end-of-year period. Engaging employees requires observing their needs and being flexible and creative in overcoming obstacles.

1. Foster collaborative communication between employees and management

Open channels of communication encourage team members to synchronize their efforts during peak seasons. Consistent and constructive follow-up visits keep employees aligned with company goals and foster a deep sense of belonging in the company culture.

Creating an environment of open communication is a easy and free approach that promotes job satisfaction by encouraging employees to actively participate. By recognizing the essential role that employees play in a company, employees will recognize their very own efforts as significant.

The concept of “meaningful work” refers to participating in work that brings personal satisfaction; it is vital for each employee to define this term based on their very own unique perspective. Research shows that employees who redefine the meaning of their skilled role come forward increase in job satisfaction by 70%. Giving meaning to work is a beneficial investment for firms.

A fast check-in, a greeting during a morning meeting, a thank-you email – small gestures have a lasting impact when mental bandwidth begins to deplete.

Communication strategies to build connections

• Emphasize the employee’s strengths and gently guide him through areas requiring development. Follow up with any obligatory resources or positive reinforcement.
• Summarize vital information corresponding to each day goals, deadlines, and upcoming events.
• Check your understanding and repeat all key points to avoid future layoffs.
• Use alternative types of communication, corresponding to digital messaging platforms, to make information and check-ins more accessible and relatable.
• Provide physical materials containing vital information. Written instructions are often helpful for individuals who may have difficulty retaining information, which might occur to anyone managing a heavy workload. The weekly newsletter is an engaging opportunity to provide updates and add inspiring content.

2. Optimize your workflow to alleviate seasonal stressors

Managing simultaneous priorities at work and home can sometimes result in a lack of employee engagement during the holiday season. Improving the functioning skills of management staff is an effective approach to systematizing complex work processes and alleviating information overload.

Procrastination expert Dr. Timothy A. Pychyl emphasizes: key markers of executive functioning skills consisting of assorted self-regulation processes – solving latest problems, the ability to adjust behavior in response to changes, generating and executing strategies, using working memory, task tracking, and even emotional regulation – all of which are obligatory for the smooth functioning of a company.

In practice, these skills naturally increase engagement by establishing a framework for specific actions that internally guide employees through dynamic periods of labor. During the holiday rush, task management strategies significantly reduce distractions, increasing employee engagement and developing an intuitive sense of workflow.

Key task management strategies for success

• Visually organize vital information corresponding to goals and KPIs, company values, current projects, and so on. Grouping related information makes it easier to process and store.
• Divide similar varieties of tasks into categories to reduce indecisions and move to next steps more quickly.
• Manage your time and improve your focus by allocating specific blocks of time to specific activities and setting reminders to stay on track.
• Create SMART goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound – turning big tasks into small, easy-to-follow steps.
• Improve your environment to improve focus – remove clutter and simplify designated productivity areas.
• Track projects using task management tools like Trello or more traditional tools like task notebooks; storing and categorizing vital information alleviates many workflow issues.

The ability to function in managerial positions improves concentration and, equally vital, inspires employees to start on their very own and imagine in their abilities. Seasonal challenges are inevitable, but creating a frictionless process greatly reduces the anxiety associated with holiday deadlines.

3. Advocate for positive mental health and well-being practices

Mental well-being has a significant impact on job satisfaction and engagement, especially since the holidays could be a turbulent time of 12 months. According to psychology experts, emotional regulation is an vital aspect of executive functioning. Emotional control affects employees’ ability to adapt to continuously changing circumstances. Increasing efforts to address mental health issues results in high employee retention rates and improved performance, and builds employee confidence in understanding their well-being.

Health habits at work

Taking care of your employees’ well-being is possible without affecting your workflow – some strategies are so simple as they are effective!

• Introduce wellbeing days with workshops on stress management and distribute appropriate reading materials to refer employees to mental health resources.
• Provide meditation spaces with minimal noise and calming music; this has the additional effect of adapting to different work styles.
• Provide free trials of wellness app memberships or coaching mentorships.
• During breaks, encourage mindfulness skills corresponding to deep respiratory exercises or meditation walks.
• Taking short breaks could appear counterproductive, but they will improve concentration and reduce stress that might otherwise lower engagement.
• Encourage communication to address any concerns that could be interfering with an employee’s well-being by referring them to mental health support.
• Boost employee morale – put up decorations to welcome the holiday spirit, show appreciation, or bring donuts and coffee on a dreary day; spreading positivity goes a good distance.

4. Recognize efforts to increase productivity

Building on the momentum of positive employee encouragement, drive employee engagement by recognizing their profession achievements with incentives and rewards. When employees are recognized for their efforts, they feel energized and strive for higher performance.

Rewards resulting from recognition for performance influence the employee’s continuous involvement in the team. Working with purpose creates “meaningful work,” as noted earlier; subsequently, giving recognition is very helpful for the company.

Motivations related to employee recognition and commitment

• Recognition awards for achievers, a personalized message of congratulations or a meaningful gift make a lasting impression.
• The ability to adjust work hours to help employees balance their personal schedules may end up in lower employee turnover rates.
• Remote work opportunities help relieve employees of commuting costs and give them a sense of freedom resulting from the ability to personalize their work.
• Enabling employees to customize their office space is one way to transition to working from home and create a more calming environment in which to stay for longer periods of time.
• Having a functional environment with winged chairs and the obligatory materials provides employees with a solid foundation to work well.
• Catered lunches or meal vouchers are a quick morale boost on days when energy levels are low.
• Professional development through online courses or in-person seminars helps employees build the confidence and skills needed to advance their careers.
• Providing performance advantages with rewards program for employees and consumers motivates employees to invest in their work.

Rewarding productivity with recognition – financial or non-financial – brings lasting results. Recognizing your employees’ priorities and motivations helps you identify the ideal productivity advantages that meet their individual needs. Considering your team’s needs will allow you to determine which incentives best align with your organization’s values.

Vacation summary

Engaging employees when their attention is divided between holiday responsibilities at work and at home requires experimenting with different methods that meet the needs of each the company and its employees.

Implementing easy strategies like meaningfully connecting with employees, improving task management, promoting well-being, and recognizing exertions are relatively inexpensive and practical ways to keep your workforce focused, no matter the season.