Tips on Keeping Employees Engaged (and Happy) During the Holidays

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1. Be Flexible – Implement flex schedules and allow employees to work remotely during the holiday week. This is extremely helpful for employees who are traveling during the holidays. Offer half days once a week to give employees time to do gift shopping.
2. Food and Fun – Organize a company potluck meal, a Yankee Swap gift exchange or Secret Santa event. Give the staff a turkey for their holiday dinner.
3. Giving Thanks from the Top Down – Leaders and managers should send out a company-wide or department-wide message on the spirit of the holiday to express their appreciation to employees for their dedication and hard work; every employee likes to feel appreciated and valued.
4. Many Hands Make Light Hearts – Engage the group in a charity event day — volunteer at local food bank or homeless shelter. Besides being altruistic, volunteering is a great team-building exercise.
5. Competition Between Friends – Sponsor an employee contest to find ways to bring the holidays into the work setting to achieve the goals of the company.
6. Help with Meals – If the company has a catering service or cafeteria, offer discounted prepared food that people can take home to save on the stress of cooking.
7. Free Gift Wrapping – Set up free gift wrapping stations or even offer free gift wrapping services for your employees.
8. "Adopt a family" – Many charities have "adopt a family programs" that range from supporting a family for the holidays so that children will receive gifts they otherwise would have lacked, to sponsoring the family for whole year. Or, take the message of thanks to a global level by funding others in severely challenged areas of the world.
9. Give Thanks Often – Increase recognition efforts during the holiday season. While having a sustainable year-round recognition strategy should be a priority for all organizations, the holiday season can be an especially stressful time for many employees. It doesn’t take a big holiday bonus; just some meaningful holiday cheer can be just the thing they need

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