Picture this: It’s the morning of the first business day after the winter holiday season. Employees of Company A are at their desks or have signed into their remote workstations and are ready for action. But employees of Company B are less than raring to go.
Why the difference? Management at Company A has taken steps to spark employee productivity and ease their return to work now that the holidays are in the rearview mirror. And if statistics are any indication, it is on the better track: Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of respondents to a poll by MetLife UK said the return to work after the holiday season is stressful for them, and 43 percent deemed “readjusting” to “business as usual” post-holiday is the main cause of such stress. Nearly one-third (31 percent) of individuals queried expressed concern about catching up after even a less-than-lengthy break.
Here are some key tips to following in Company A’s footsteps.
1-Forge immediate reconnections
All departments should start the day with a brief meeting. Start with a greeting by the manager to ask about everyone’s holiday and note how much the company values their and willingness to start pursuing goals for the year. Then discuss action items, quarterly/yearly goals, upcoming projects, potential improvements that require group effort, and an action plan for getting things done.
Once the meeting is over, employees who were less than motivated at the start will feel a spark. Those who were raring to go will be even more so.
2- Engage in clear communication
Most, if not all employees will be faced with an overflowing inbox first thing after being away from the office for the holidays. Grappling with that inbox—email or otherwise—can be a daunting task that quashes productivity, especially if employees must dig through it to find the information they need to do their jobs. In fact, 31 percent of hiring managers queried by CareerBuilder consider email to be one of the most significant impediments to such productivity.
To turn the tide, employers should avoid adding to employees’ inboxes and instead convey as much information as possible face to face, by telephone, or through an internal communication network.
3-Re-evaluate and set personal goals for each employee
Employees who are returning to work after a holiday break will typically be more focused on clearing their desks and inboxes and meeting last-minute deadlines than they will on long-term goals. However, a study by project management application provider Wrike revealed that these short-term goals can be overwhelming and demotivating, and that employees need long-term goals to remain motivated.
With this in mind, re-evaluate individual employees’ long-term goals as soon as possible after the holidays. Ensure that the goals are realistic and make adjustments as necessary. Ascertain that each staff member knows what is expected of them when it comes to the tasks they are supposed to perform in order to hit their targets.
4-Support teamwork
Breakdowns in teamwork will only exacerbate the effects of the increased workload faced by most employees after the holidays. To prevent this from happening, managers should review roles and assignments with their team members to remind them of their individual responsibilities and keep them accountable for their work.
5-Nip apathy in the bud
No more gift-giving and holiday parties mean employees have a bit less to look forward to during the business week—a hard fact that may engender disinterest and pessimism and interfere with the caliber of team members’ work. Turning the tide will involve giving employees something to anticipate going forward, such as a mid-winter team building or group activity.
At E-Complish, we’ll be raring to go after the holidays—as we are year-round—when it comes to meeting business’ payment processing needs. Learn more or schedule a consultation here.