Solutions to 3 Common Holiday Workplace Challenges
Can you feel it in the air? The joy (and stress) of the holiday season?
I sure can!
You are not alone if you are facing...
A calendar that is over-full with events and to-dos
COVID stress about upcoming holiday parties
Increased stress and overwhelm at work
What other holiday challenges are you facing right now?
In the spirit of offering practical HR and leadership resources, in this blog post, I talk about solutions to 3 common workplace holiday challenges, including....
How to navigate increased holiday stress in the workplace
How to make your workplace holiday party COVID-safe
How to be more inclusive at work during the holidays
How to Navigate Increased Holiday Stress in the Workplace
For some, the holidays are the happiest and most stressful time of year. As a result, overwhelm and stress show up more often at work around this time of year.
Considering the increased stress and time off from work, it’s natural for productivity to decline around the holidays. According to Bonusly.com, we need to "expect productivity to go down, especially around December. More than two-thirds of workers admitted being less productive throughout December, with nearly one-half admitting that they did 10-20% less work. Many employees will be preoccupied with holiday planning tasks like shopping, errands, or coordinating plans with friends and family."
What this might look like:
Increased time off for you and your staff
Delays in email responses
Setting aside non-urgent tasks until after the first of the year
Perhaps some of navigating the stress and overwhelm of the holiday season is resetting our expectations around productivity.
It’s important to be aware of and acknowledge to ourselves and each other…
Work gets more stressful during the holidays, and
We are going to get less done at work during the holidays, and
….that's completely OK!
Here are additional supports for you and your team for navigating holiday stress:
How to Make Your Workplace Holiday Party COVID-Safe
A lot of organizations are still debating whether to have their holiday parties in person, virtually, or forgoing the holiday party this year altogether.
Starting with a quick survey to your employees can help in determining what's best for your organization. The survey doesn't have to be anything fancy or overly detailed. Perhaps just 2 questions:
What is your preference for our holiday party this year?
a) In-Person
b) Virtual
d) Forgo the holiday party this year
2. What ideas do you have to make this year's party fun and meaningful?
Then with the employee feedback you can decide what you want to do.
If you decide to have your party in-person:
Communicate with employees about the organization’s COVID/safety policies and party safety protocols ahead of time.
Remind attendees of the party safety protocols at the party entrance.
If you decide to have the party virtually, check out these "fresh takes on stale virtual gatherings" for ideas on how to keep your virtual party fun and meaningful.
If you decide to forgo the holiday party this year:
Communicate to employees why you will be forgoing the party this year. Is it because of safety concerns from employee feedback? Is it because you want to encourage folks to spend time with family/friends or self-care instead?
Consider giving a meaningful gift instead. Here are some holiday employee appreciation gift ideas.
How to be More Inclusive at Work During the Holidays
Being more inclusive at the holidays starts with recognizing that not everyone celebrates one type of holiday. According to the Associated Press at the University of Chicago (AP-NORC), in 2019, 92% of Americans planned to celebrate Christmas, 5% planned to celebrate Hanukkah, and 3% planned to celebrate Kwanzaa. 5% planned to celebrate more than one holiday. Additionally, 81% planned to celebrate New Year’s Eve. (I'm also curious about the holidays this study did not include. Here is a link to a calendar with a more comprehensive listing of diverse holidays.)
It's also important to remember that even when employees do celebrate the same holiday, the holiday likely means something different to each individual. For example, Christmas may or may not hold religious significance for some employees.
Acknowledging holiday diversity is a great first step. From there, we can take action, both big and small, to be more inclusive of employees at the holidays. Read this for great ideas on “How to Celebrate the Holidays More Inclusively at Work.”
Wishing you a less stressful and more joyful holiday season,
Skye
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