Well, it is the holiday time of the year again. You're trying to run your business in the midst of holiday excitement, stress, and some distractibility on the part of employees. Yet, team cohesion, or that sense of "we-ness" and being part of a supportive organization, should not be ignored at this time of year. If you do so, you risk having employees feeling more stress and less connection to the company culture and mission. In our recently published book (I Can't Take It Anymore: How to Manage Stress so It Doesn't Manage You; Paul G. Longobardi, Ph.D., and Janice B. Longobardi, R.N., B.S.N., P.H.N.), we discuss all aspects of stress to include its impact on work organizations. It is available through Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1542458056 and could be one of the best gifts you could give your loves ones and employees at this time of year. If you want to learn more about the book and the authors, please visit our website at www.manageyourhealthandstress.com.
So what are some easily implemented actions you can take during this holiday season to reduce stress and increase employee motivation and cohesion? Here are three strategies:
1. Show appreciation during the holidays. As mentioned earlier, it's a stressful time of the year. It’s important to remember to recognize and appreciate your employees. You can express this in several ways from less to more expensive. You can let them know your appreciation during an appropriate meeting. You could send them thank you cards noting your appreciation. Depending on the size of your group, you can take them out to lunch or dinner. This was a personal favorite of mine when I was in management and took the team out and let them know how grateful I was for their work, loyalty, and commitment to the organization.. It always was highly appreciated.
2. Create a congenial and friendly environment. Realizing that the holiday season is a busy and hectic one for employees, you can ensure that the workplace is a welcoming, relaxed, and enjoyable place for your employees to be. Nobody needs to come to a chaotic and tense workplace at any time of the year. During the holiday season it is even worse. Seek to create a cohesive venue showing appreciation as discussed in the first strategy. Also remember to be aware of yourself. You always set the tone for the mood of the company. Take care to manage your own stress levels. If you are frenetic that will affect others. Model the positivity you want from others and you will get it.
3. Consider a holiday event in the workplace. No matter what are the personal beliefs of your employees, you can create a company or team event to foster team cohesion and bring together your employees in a positive manner. I have been in management settings where there have been large organizational events on site but also where departments or teams had smaller events on site. Be sure not to place too much responsibility on employees for the event or it can become only one more stressing event during the holidays. I always found it appreciated by all who attended.
Remember that the way you handle the holiday season serves to wrap up the current year and kick off the next year. Consider what message you want to send during this time. It is a golden opportunity to build a higher level of team cohesion while having some fun.
May your holiday season be enjoyable. Best of luck on your journey.
Dr. Paul Longobardi
For information on these and related topics, please go to my website at www.successandmindset.com.