6 Ways to Keep Employees Engaged During the Holiday Season

The holidays can be a difficult time for employees to focus in the office. This article with tips on how to keep your employees engaged during the holidays comes from Entrepreneur.

6 Ways to Keep Employees Engaged During the Holiday Season

While the tips below are specific to keeping employees engaged during the holiday season, they can — and should — be utilized and practiced throughout the year.

1. Open Communication

It’s important to maintain open communication about company performance.

When employees feel included in a company’s success, they are more likely to feel valued and in control of their professional future and thus, more invested in the company’s future.

Transparency and disclosure about a company’s year-end performance will be appreciated by employees and pay dividends not only during the holidays but throughout the year as well.

2. Demonstrate Enthusiasm

One of the best things you can do is to lead by example.

Demonstrate enthusiasm for the year ahead by bringing employees together to highlight company initiatives, rollouts, improvements, and milestones.

A new year sets the stage for a fresh start, filled with possibilities and excitement, but sentiment and attitude starts at the top and trickles down. When employers demonstrate enthusiasm for what’s to come, it’s contagious, and can boost employee motivation and engagement.

Regular internal newsletters from leadership are also a good way to let employees know about positive company updates.

3. Define Company Goals

The next thing you can do is clearly define your company goals for the year ahead.

While celebrations, acts of goodwill and compensation are important, communicate to employees that performance expectations remain high. One way to ensure that expectations are clearly identified is to have one-on-one constructive conversations that focus on areas of improvement and tactical ways to achieve goals.

4. Promote Perks and Benefits

Be sure to promote perks and benefits that boost mental health and physical well-being.

New Year’s resolutions. Most of us make them. Some of us keep them, some of us don’t. Either way, encourage employees’ resolutions by showing support for their goals both in and outside of the workplace.

Employees both want and expect benefits that help them financially, but also those that meet more immediate needs, like gym memberships, healthy office snacks, paternity leave or instituting volunteer days.

5. Recognize Exceptional Work

Don’t neglect to recognize when your employees do exceptional work.

Bonuses are not necessarily the only way to celebrate rock-star employees. Increased praise and attention by leadership are also effective ways to laud deserving employees, whether one-on-one or in a public setting in front of peers.

Providing exceptional employees with opportunities to lead projects and tasks that are of interest to them not only show appreciation, but also the utmost confidence in their abilities.

6. Take Earned Time Off

When your employees have worked hard and earned time off, allow them to take the time.

Employees feel most loyal to their employers when they are recognized and rewarded, not just with compensation but also with time — one of the greatest currencies of all.

While employees should use the time they’ve earned responsibly and thoughtfully, employers should hold them accountable in order to maintain mutual respect. The start of a new year is the best time to reinforce this mutual respect and partnership.

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