4 Strategies To Increase Retention And Engagement During The Holidays

While the holidays are a happy time filled with parties and spending time with loved ones, it can be difficult to balance the need for festivities with the need for a focused and productive workforce. It’s a tricky balance; you want to give your employees the time they need to recharge and make lasting memories with their families, but you also need to be sure you’re hitting your year-end goals. The problem is, if you don’t offer enough incentive to work hard throughout the end of the year or if you push your team too hard, you risk them burning out, or worse, leaving your organization. Below are 4 strategies you can use to increase your retention and create a more engaged workforce this holiday season.

1. Offer flexible scheduling to work around employees’ holiday plans.

The holiday season can be a hectic time. People are running around getting their last-minute shopping done, families are working to figure out holiday plans with their loved ones, and with the end of the year coming up quickly, companies are in overdrive trying to close out strong. Your employees are likely feeling the effects of all these stressors, so one thing you can do to help ease their troubles is to offer a more flexible approach to work schedules at the end of the year.

It might be impossible to accommodate each time-off request, as the chances of your employees asking for time-off on the same day are high. But remember that this is no time to be a stickler about the rules. Instead of being inflexible and sticking to your hard-and-fast rules, encourage your team to be flexible and work together when determining a holiday schedule.

Some organizations have found success in creating half shifts on high-demand holidays. This allows your office to still function and meet your needs and frees up part of the day for employees to enjoy time off the clock. This approach may not work for everyone, but there are many creative ways to work around your employees’ schedules while still getting work done.

2. Encourage employees to use the time off they’ve earned.

This strategy goes hand-in-hand with offering flexible scheduling. It goes without saying that overworked and overstressed employees are much more likely to face burnout. And, when your team feels burnt out, their quality of work decreases, and the likelihood of them leaving your organization steadily increases. Help combat this by encouraging your team to use the time off they’ve earned throughout the year. This perk is intended to help employees balance their lives and work more efficiently and helps your team to stay engaged and refreshed.

If you’re concerned about work not being completed as the year comes to a close, you can always consider hiring temporary workers to help shoulder some of the burdens. This allows your full-time employees to take the time to recharge and enjoy time with their loved ones and allows you to still maintain the high level of output you need at the end of the year.

3. Use performance reviews to define goals clearly and offer targeted recognition and praise.

People love to be complimented on things that they’ve done well. Recognition is so important that 91% of working professionals say that a strong culture of recognition makes them want to stick around a company. The best part? Recognition is free to give! Utilize your performance reviews as a time to praise your team for the hard work they’ve put in and the successes they’ve encountered along the way. Your team will appreciate feeling valued.

Additionally, use your performance reviews as a time to discuss company goals and individual goals for the new year. What expectations do you have for your team? What expectations do they have for themselves? Take some time to talk through career growth plans, ongoing education opportunities, and create an action plan for achieving these goals. When you’re open and honest with goals, you’ll find your team is much more engaged and committed.

4. Rethink your bonuses.

You may call it a holiday bonus, an annual reward, or something else entirely, but chances are that your employees expect something a little extra special at the end of the year to reward them for the work they’ve done over the year. The trouble is, if you don’t take care to plan your bonuses or rewards, it can come across as more of an insult rather than a reflection of how much you value your team.

We’ve seen shifts in the kind of perks and benefits that employees value most over the last few years. Employees now value more flexibility in their schedules, mental health support, and other benefits that allow them to live a more fulfilling life outside of work with their friends and family. Take this into consideration as you tackle end-of-year bonuses. Not every organization can give out a large monetary reward to their teams, and that’s okay. All that matters is that you put forth the time and effort to create a practical and significant reward that demonstrates your appreciation for your employees.

The holiday season can be a magical, yet stressful, time for many reasons. Be sure that work is not the most significant stressor in your team’s lives so that they stay energized and committed to the overall goal. After all, a happy workforce is more productive, more engaged, and more likely to stick around for years to come.

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