4 WAYS TO ENJOY THE HOLIDAY SEASON – AND BE PRODUCTIVE TOO
It’s a time to celebrate – and a time to plan. As we prepare to give thanks with family and friends, it’s important to remember to enjoy the holiday season while meeting deadlines and fulfilling obligations. Not sure how you can fit it all in? We share four tips below to help you prioritize and maximize your time (and enjoyment) this holiday season.
Have a Conversation with Employees and/or Clients
You want to take time off this holiday season, but you need to be available to your clients too. Or you’re afraid that all your employees will want the same days off. The best way to avoid a potential disaster is to sit down and talk with everyone involved. This may surprise you, but your clients are probably taking time off too. Talk to them about when you’ll be out of the office, so no urgent projects pop up last minute. Of if you’re flexible, ask them when they’re taking time off. You can coordinate your time off, so you’re both out enjoying the sights and sounds at the same time.
Talk to your employees about their holiday plans. Ask them to submit their requested days off as early as possible, so you can accommodate as many people as you can. Your employees have their own traditions and family obligations, so they may not all be on the same schedule. If you do have too many people requesting the same day(s) off, ask them if they have any flexibility. Perhaps some of them have family or other obligations on that date while other employees simply want a day off. If you communicate the scheduling problem with everyone involved, some of your employees may be able to request different days off.
Be Flexible
While you need to ensure that work gets done, try to be flexible during the holiday season. The biggest gift you can give to your employees (and yourself) is time off to enjoy the festivities. Take a closer look at your schedule, especially during the month of December. Do you need a specific number of employees on a certain day, or can you get by with a skeleton crew? This is when it’s important to know your business: the ebb and flow of projects, your clients’ needs, how efficiently you can run your operation, etc. Maybe you can’t get by with limited personnel all year long, but you can on the Friday before Christmas. Then, you can give the day off to most of your staff who requested it.
Do you need to be open your normal business hours, or can you cut back? If it’s your busy season, then you may even need to expand your hours to keep up. Hiring temporary workers can help you meet increased demand while still giving your employees time to spend with friends and family. Perhaps your business slows down a little this time of year, so you could cut back your hours and still take care of your customers. Be realistic about your business needs this time of year. While we all want to be setting sales records every day, that’s not how most businesses work. Taking time off this time of year can deliver more return on investment (ROI) than forcing yourself – and your staff – to work regular hours when it’s unnecessary.
Take Time Off
As a busy business owner or professional, there’s always more work to be done. Once you figure out your holiday schedule and communicate it with your customers and employees (or supervisors and colleagues), stick to it. Take time off, recharge and get in the holiday spirit. Hit the local ice skating rink, browse pop-up shops and take the time to remember why this is the most wonderful time of the year. It’s hard to remember when all you can focus on is your ever-evolving to-do list, but taking time away from work makes you a better boss, colleague and person. It lowers your stress level and helps you make better decisions. Spending time taking in the sights and sounds of the season will help remind you of everything you have to be thankful for.
Encourage your employees to take time off too. They’ve earned it! Your business wouldn’t be where it is today without them, and happy employees are more engaged and productive. By enjoying the holiday season, they’ll be ready to hit the ground running in the New Year.
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Red Trio of Sweets
Plan for 2018
Speaking of the New Year, the holiday season can be an excellent time to plan for the upcoming year. Review your year to date: the successes and failures, surprises and disappointments. Take a fresh look at client feedback, or take the opportunity to ask them for specific feedback now. Why do they enjoy working with you? What do they want to improve? Your clients can provide candid feedback from a different perspective that may surprise you (in a good or bad way). Listen to what they say, and try to incorporate it into next year’s plans if it makes sense.
Ask your employees for their feedback, and take it seriously. Encourage them to offer suggestions on improving processes, the company culture or their specific areas. What do they look forward to every day? What would help them do their job better? What’s the worst part of their job?
While you’re collecting feedback from clients and employees, take a big picture view of your business this year. What worked well? Continue to do these things in the coming year, and think about how you can make improvements in other areas based on these results. What didn’t work as planned? Review what went wrong. It’s easy to blame a person or group, but take a step back. Did people fail or did your system/process fail? Look at everything involved before deciding how to improve these outcomes in the following year.
Communication, flexibility, taking time off and planning for next year will help you enjoy the holiday season and still be productive too. Take time to enjoy the festivities, and bring the holiday spirit into your business. However you celebrate, enjoy the most wonderful time of the year!
What’s your favorite Holiday tradition?
