Just as your finances, diet and exercise routine can get thrown out of whack with the arrival of the holidays, so can the progress on your various projects at work. The following are seven tips that will help you keep your projects on track this holiday season.
Be a Good Example
Your employees will follow your lead in terms of focus and intensity. Therefore it’s crucial that you maintain order and focus during the holiday season. This will communicate your desire to remain on track in regard to your projects, regardless of the date. After all, if you are getting lax in your own productivity, how can you expect your employees to do any better?
Ask For Regular Project Status Reports
Consider asking for either weekly or biweekly reports on all the projects you have going on. Knowing they will have to provide a progress report will help employees remain focused on the job at hand. Of course, it’s important that you are realistic about these status reports. It’s going to be more difficult during the holidays to be productive. Some of this has nothing to do with your employees so be reasonable.
Give Them a Break
The first two tips involved increased focus and intensity during the holidays. This tip goes the other direction, but is just as valid, perhaps even more so. The holidays are a busy time. As a result your employees will have many demands outside the office. Therefore, it is important that you allow them to take some time off to get things done. Give them some shopping days and let them leave early to go to drama practice for their play at church. Allow them the time they need to go to family functions. This in turn will lead to them being more focused during regular working hours because they will have the time they need to get their tasks done.
Put Big Projects on the Back Burner
No, it’s not always possible to put a project off until after the first of the year. Sometimes it just has to be done. If it is at all possible, pushing a big project back to after the first of the year can take a lot of pressure off your employees and allow your team to have some fun during the holidays.
Have Fun
Speaking of fun, you don’t want to be your office’s equivalent of the Grinch. You do need to acknowledge the festivities of the holiday season and make your office a happy place. Play holiday music if your employees enjoy this. Decorate. Keep cookies or trail mix available in the break room. In short, make your office a jolly place so your employees will enjoy being there.
Talk About the Good Things
Another way to keep projects on track during the holidays is simply to reminisce about the past year by looking over your business successes. At the same time, acknowledge your employees’ accomplishments. A good way to do this is to award your employees in some way or another.
Give Bonuses
Speaking of awards, perhaps the best way of all to encourage productivity is to reward employees in the form of bonuses. Yes, it’s great to acknowledge your employees’ hard work, like mentioned above. But, it’s even better to reward them financially. By doing this, you will ensure they work even harder for you during the holidays. Remember, “a person who feels appreciated will always do more than what is expected.”
Try the tips listed above to keep your office on track this holiday season.
