By Esmée Hardwick-Slack
The Christmas season is well and truly upon us, and with it is a general sense of compassion and good will. However, we cannot deny that it can be a very distracting time in the office, with everyone distracted by all the festive fun, coming to work is probably the last thing they want to do. Keeping morale high is incredibly important, with people starting to wind down for the holidays encouraging a bit of festive fun towards Christmas can often give people the motivation boost they need!
So with that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of ways you can motivate your staff this Christmas!
Bring some Christmas cheer into the office
Nobody likes a Scrooge. Injecting some festivities into your day need not disrupt you work flow and there a many ways to bring the Christmas cheer!
Decorations: This may seem obvious but a metre of tinsel and some tangled lights from the cupboard aren’t getting anyone’s bells jingling this Christmas. If you need some inspiration check out this list of the ideas on how decorate your office. You can even put a competitive spin on it by pitting departments against each other to see who has the jolliest office!
Christmas jumper day: Everyone loves a classic and you can’t beat a good old Christmas jumper, so why not bring yours to work to show off? A Christmas jumper day is a great way to allow your staff to relax a little without pulling them away from their daily tasks. You could even do it for charity! Save the Children have a free fundraising pack to help you get started!  It’s an easy, simple and fun way to see in the holidays.
Festive bakes: Christmas is a time for indulgence so why not flex your baking muscles and treat everyone to a batch of mince pies or your famous yule log! Check out Olive Magazines Best ever Christmas baking recipes and see who the star baker is in your office!
Secret Santa: This is an excellent and fun way for everyone in your team to get a little something this Christmas. It doesn’t have to be a time consuming process either! With websites like DrawNames you can easily input the names and emails of those celebrating, allocate a budget, and everyone gets sent a name. Simple! You can even ask your chosen name anonymous questions if you’re stuck for gift ideas.
Flexible hours
Flexible working hours are becoming more common and can be a massive morale boost for employees, especially in the run up to Christmas. It can be difficult to juggle everything from Christmas shopping to their children’s nativity, allowing them a bit of flexibility gives them a chance to schedule their work accordingly.           Â
End of year awards
Reflecting on the calendar year and awarding your employees for their efforts is great way to recognise and motivate staff. It will give everyone something to look forward to and work towards, not only during the festive period, but all year long. It also allows them to reflect on the achievements of the company and individuals, encourging them to think about any room for improvement in the coming year.
Relax!
December can seem like a chaotic month. With all the Christmas do’s and holiday chores it’s easy to get swept up in it all and lose track of time, this can lead to more hours in the office and away from family and friends. Encourage your team to slow down a little and take things one at a time. They don’t need to attend every single client even, holiday party or gift exchange. Remind them to rest, recharge and focus on themselves and the tasks at hand.
How do you motivate employees during the festive season? Let us know in the comments or chat to us on Twitter!
Related Articles:
How to spend less this Christmas
