Now we are nearing the end of 2017 the final festivities, which includes Christmas, are on their way! People will usually relax, take time off to spend how they wish, etc. to end their busy year well. However, some staff can often ease into this leisure mode well before the holidays. Piling on the winter clothes can often bring about a feeling of joy and relaxation, which for employer’s, may be difficult to manage if not prepared.
Some employees may start to demonstrate a decline in attitude towards their work nearer the end of the year, particularly if you operate a Christmas break. This is normally due to staff having a lot of other personal things going on, like planning events over Christmas, making sure everything and everyone is ready for the holidays, and so on. Whilst not everybody will celebrate Christmas, there are other celebrations during this time, so in any event it’s important to ensure that any staff issues are managed well. As such it is advisable to prepare staff for any events before the holiday period.
Pre-holiday work preparation can be done in many simple and subtle ways, without dampening the cheerful spirit. Sending out pleasant memos to staff, to make clear how you do recognise this may be an exciting time, however work must be done together, to ensure the good feeling continues. This highlights your understanding of people’s feelings towards any break, but also reminds staff that there is a job to be done. It embraces the ‘together feeling’ people normally enjoy over the holiday period too, which will ideally encourage staff to maintain their work and have a good attitude when doing so. Staff need to understand company expectations during this period. It raises their awareness and places you in a good position as an employer, should problems occur. So be sure to share information about: performance levels, deadlines, behaviour, dress codes (despite festive fashion trends), holiday entitlements and any other potential health and safety or discrimination risks which may present themselves.
For further HR tips and guidance, telephone Howarths on 01274 864999 and speak to one of our advisors.
By Ellie-Mae Fisher, HR Assistant
