4 Tips in Growing Employee Motivation Through the Holidays

 2019-12-16

December is right around the corner and with it, the most wonderful time of the year, the holidays. It is when people have time to go on vacation and enjoy their holiday breaks. Family and friends can finally host reunions to have fun and be together.

...Or so it should be.

Paradoxically, holidays are also the busiest and one of the most stressful times of the year. Yes, it is when people are given time to meet up with others, as well as to go on trips to rest. But all these meet ups and festivities are another kind of stressful work to make happen. It is really a busy and hectic time of the year given one has to do so much planning, shopping, scheduling, hosting, etc. It is downright taxing, especially when everyone else in your direct vicinity is doing the same things, going to the same places, running on the same pressure and worries.

This is also the time of the year when businesses have huge sales and discounts. This no doubt attracts mobs of people, causing malls and establishments to be overly crowded. The workers of said businesses are then doubly stressed having to deal with frantic customers trying to complete their rushed shopping lists and grab quickly disappearing reservation slots. Everyone is perpetually tense and on edge.

It is a draining ordeal for the staff, no doubt. Workers would expect the whole run to be filled with exhausting hours and irate customers. Some will most likely just give the bare minimum to get them through the day. As a business owner, how then to keep the exhausted and stressed employees motivated? Or at least to keep the staff going through the holiday grind? Here are a few tips you can following in growing employee motivation:

Incentivize

Promising small gifts to the staff is a good way in growing employee motivation. Handing out small incentives like cash bonuses or a gift card gives employees something they can look forward to after their tiring shifts. Bigger bonuses can be had as well for employees who decide to do more what is asked of them.

Turning the work into a small friendly competition with prizes can also make things interesting. Bigger incentives can be promised for the winners and will fire up some of the employee’s competitiveness, motivating the workers to do well.

Make Kind Surprises

In a tense environment, small and kind surprises will mean a lot to the tired employees. Free food and snacks can be readily provided for employees during the stressful grind, for example. Employers can also be more vocally appreciative of the staff; they can recognize and praise their efforts at this stressful time. Basically small things that make it a bit easier for the employees and make them feel the company does care and notice their efforts.

Exercise More Patience

During the holiday rush, where everyone is stressed and tense, mistakes will inevitably happen. Tensions can be so high that small mistakes will turn messy, especially when dealing with stressed customers.

When fixing the mess, it is advisable to not blow up at the employee. Practice a bit more patience and don’t make the worker feel any worse. This will help in growing employee motivation. Be kind as everyone is having a hard time as is. Making the staff feel worse will not do anything for the present stress and can even make things worse as well.

Be Grateful

After everything is said and done, when the store is closed and it’s time to go home, the staff should be thanked. It has been a long day for everyone and it will be another long day tomorrow. It would be a kind courtesy for the employer to be grateful to the workers.

Make the staff feel like their efforts were very valuable and that you appreciate them. Being grateful is small thing to do, but it would give the team more reasons to do well the next shift. Following these tips in growing employee motivation will keep your staff inspired and ready to take on the holidays!