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Ring-a-ding-ding, what’s that? It’s sleigh bells!

Yes, Christmas is on the way, shortly to be followed by New Year – it’s the longest and most significant holiday period of the year for a lot of us. Around the holidays, many employers complain that they see employee focus and attention dipping. Team members are less interested in work, watching the clock more, and may have lost their focus.

So what can you do to keep employee engagement from dropping as we get closer to Christmas and New Year?

How to keep your team’s spirits up this Christmas and New Year

1. Accept That This Is Normal

Your employees, whether you like it or not, work to pay the bills, and for most of them, that’s all it comes down to. They live for their life outside of work, and the holidays are often some of the best parts of those lives. Employees who show more interest in Santa hats than their newest Excel file are not doing anything wrong, so allow them some leeway.

2. Allow Some Leeway

72% of surveyed employees told this survey that embracing Christmas in the workplace has helped them bond with their colleagues, so getting Christmassy as we get closer to the big day can only benefit your company. On the flip side, grinch bosses tend to be widely unpopular, and when your employees start seeing you as a buzzkill, the next stop is seeing their way out of the door!

3. Encourage Getting Into The Holiday Spirit

There are tons of things you can do in the workplace to make things jollier all around without interrupting the usual flow of work.

• You could have a Christmas jumper day – with an option charity donation in exchange, if you wish – and pair it with your usual Friday dress-down.
• You could ask the team to all pull together and decorate the office by putting up a tree, tinsel and fairy lights – now that’s one chore that not many would say no to!
• Finally, you could honour the biggest office Christmas tradition with Secret Santa.
• The options are endless, and your team will really appreciate you for it.

Enjoy The Holidays!

The most effective way to keep your employees engaged around Christmas and New Year is to acknowledge that it is a special time of year and allow them to enjoy it. You can help your employees keep their focus and attention on work by allowing them to balance it out with holiday treats or festivities.

Remember, every little helps, and happier employees are more likely to lead to happier customers.

For more guidance on improving customer retention, contact our expert team and we’ll be happy to advise you.

Image source: Pexels