Keeping your employees motivated in the run-up to Christmas

Christmas is just around the corner. Some employees get excited about office parties, client events and well deserved breaks. These lead to a festive cheer taking over the office, which is great.

However, some employees can get more stressed about all the things they need to get done before Christmas, not only at work, but also in their personal lives. In fact, recent research by Sodexo Benefits has highlighted that 1 in 3 employees (34%) get stressed around the holiday period.

Interestingly, the research has also revealed that lifestyle perks and benefits are more important for some employees than financial incentives. A significant 43% of employees surveyed believe free and low cost rewards are better than bonuses.

As the festive period approaches, we have listed a few ideas on how to keep the motivation going in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Encourage a relaxed working environment – you could do this by implementing dress down days, setting up Christmas jumper competitions, organising Secret Santa and even playing some festive music in the background whilst employees work.

Embrace flexible working – help employees to balance family activities and Christmas shopping with work commitments. You could allow staff to start work early and finish early and maybe let them to work from home now and again.

Support employee wellbeing – discounted gym memberships and cycle to work schemes are great perks to help employees keep active in this time of the year. After all, a healthy lifestyle could be their New Year resolution. Alternatively, you could promote a step challenge in the office and reward the winners with a special Christmas hamper.

Recognise employees – organise award ceremonies to reflect on employees’ performance over the past year and celebrate their excellence. You could even reward long-serving employees for their loyalty and achievements with gift vouchers.

Say ‘thank you’ – the most cost-effective way to make employees feel appreciated.  You could write an email thanking your employees for their hard work, but a hand written note is so much more personal. Employees generally appreciate the gesture when their manager, or even the CEO, noticed their efforts.

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