How to Keep Employees Motivated During the Holidays

Tap to Read ➤ Kevin Gardner

With the arrival of holidays filling everyone's heads with extra tasks, plans, and to-do lists, it can sometimes be hard to get your employees to stay motivated at work. Here are just five of the ways you can keep projects and tasks moving forward.

1. Plan for Projects to Finish in December

There can be something motivating about knowing that you are leaving for your holiday vacation with most of your work projects finished and submitted. As much as possible, scheduling for big projects to come to an end just before the holiday season can motivate employees to keep working hard up until their vacation.

If your employees do not typically take a break at the holidays, encouraging them to or giving them projects that extend to the year-end mark can give them a clear goal to work toward. Conducting an employee engagement survey can also be helpful in gauging how your workers are feeling about their current projects.

2. Inquire About Holiday Plans

A little effort can go a long way when it comes to keeping morale high at work. Taking a moment to check in with your employees and ask about their holiday plans can lift their spirits and remind them of what they are looking forward to. Ask about their family and where they may be travelling.

Inquire about the best present to get your niece or about what their favorite holiday tradition is. This will help them see that you care about more than just their work, and it can make additional requests from you feel much more manageable, too, because they are already in a more positive mood.

3. Offer a Seasonal Bonus

For both employees who do have Christmas plans and those who do not, a seasonal end-of-year bonus can be a great motivator around holidays. With all the added hustle and bustle holidays can bring, a seasonal bonus is a great way to communicate that employees' hard work is noticed and appreciated.

Taking time to sit down with your employees and talk through what they have done well in the past month, season, or year, in addition to presenting them with their bonus, can be another great way to boost their morale and keep them motivated through the year end.

4. Give Them an Extra Day Off

Similar to a bonus, an extra day off work can take a lot of pressure off of your employees and make the hectic holiday season feel more manageable. Tacking on another day off in addition to the statutory office holidays can be one way to let your employees know that their holiday time is important to you.

You want them to have time to rest, travel, and celebrate, and are willing to give them another day off to do so. If your office observes Christmas day and the day after, perhaps giving your employees Christmas Eve, too, can be a good way to go. Alternatively, New Year's Eve or January 2nd can be good options.

5. Celebrate at the Office

Scheduling an office-wide Christmas tree decorating party or bringing holiday treats into the office can help boost employee moods and encourage them to take breaks. Breaking up a long day of work can help employees be more productive, and if those breaks are fun and energizing, they can go back to work with a willingness to work hard.

Make Holidays Enjoyable

Holidays can be a busy time, both in and out of office. Finding ways to motivate and encourage employees can produce great results on your team and in their own lives. Just be sure to approach things with a genuine heart and seek to motivate them from a place of kindness.