In general, there is a belief that holidays cause distraction between the ongoing work, and it may affect employee engagement and productivity. But because of the flexible work arrangements, it has become easier for organizations to improve employee engagement even during the holiday season.
Nowadays, many companies are implementing the flexible holiday policy, and it’s really helping them to achieve better productivity. And the reason behind that is they want to reduce employee burnouts and improve efficiency as well. Basically, with a flexible holiday policy, companies have the advantage- Those who would like to avail themselves can swap their holidays and work for their ongoing projects.
This flexibility is advantageous for both employees and employers, as it helps employees manage their work-life balance more efficiently. And if you see on the other hand, because of flexible holiday policy, firms can avoid productivity slump during the holiday period.
Reasons why employees may seem less engaged during the holiday season;
- It’s the busiest period for retail business- As the holiday season begins, it’s the best time for sales and retail teams to grab more clients/customers and grow their business. During this phase, not only retail industries but service-based companies also take it as a leveraging opportunity. And it definitely causes a bit of extra work pressure for employees, which could also be the cause of employees disengagement.
- After the pandemic, it’s the arrival of flu- Because of that, most companies have their concern regarding the flu with COVID 19 pandemic. And it also seems true that people are also quite skeptical about going to the office due to the spread of contagious diseases in common.
- Now, we can see that the market has been recovering from the pandemic phase- industries are also trying to come back on their track and increase their work production. But it also causes extra work pressure, which can lead to employee burnout as we
How To Improve Employee Engagement and Productivity During This Holiday Season?
In order to improve the production rate and enhance employee engagement during the holiday season, employers are even considering making changes in their work policy by introducing a flexible approach. In fact, a flexible holiday policy seems to be beneficial for both employers and employees. Because of the diversification in the culture and religion of different people working in an industry, it’s not possible for a firm to satisfy each and every one. So most of the time it’s not possible for companies to allow leaves to employees due to their own culture or traditional reason. Having a flexible approach with holidays gives an inclusive feeling for all employees, which is a must if management wants to reduce burnout and enhance engagement in their workforce.
So, here we have shown a few suggestions that employers might consider in their policy to improve work engagement and productivity of their workforce.
Floating Holidays-
The floating holiday is just the new concept used by many firms around the world to implement a flexible holiday policy. Under this section, aside from PTO (weekends) and vacations employees can ask for payday off as a substitution for working on holidays. Especially during the holiday season, companies are trying to gain more business opportunities. And with more workload on the table, it would be tough for management to manage the leave requests of many employees at a time. But now, because of the floating holiday, employees have the option to take a paid day leave to celebrate their own religious holiday.
Define Your Expectations-
Are you expecting a good work presence in your firm even during the holiday time? In that case, you need to be generous with your expectations because it’s the time when most of your employees would apply for their leaves. While it may not seem easy to manage all that. However, if employers are clear with their expectations from employees and also hear out what employees have to say.
Every business may have its own circumstances when they might need some extra effort from their employees. And in such a case, they have this option with a flexible holiday policy, where employees can take substitute payday off for working during holidays.
Embrace the Holiday Spirit-
Though the management might be busy increasing their production, management should follow traditional celebrations during holidays and festive occasions. By doing so, it would also help them in motivating employees so they would show better engagement and productivity in their work. Based on surveys, we have seen that firms that celebrate such occasions have better employee engagement and productivity. Last year, even during the pandemic, we have seen that many firms organize such virtual events where remote employees participate and enjoy the spirit of festive occasions.
Encourage Employees To Stay Healthy-
As we already know, the fall season is here and winter is coming, and due to this seasonal change people can get sick due to flu. And the effect of the pandemic is still there. In such a case, employers can encourage their employees to take vaccine shots as soon as possible and keep themselves safe from any disease.
Nowadays, many organizations also conduct wellness and health awareness programs to educate employees. Such events not only help them to improve their wellness but also improve team bonding between employees.
Show Appreciation for Employees Work-
One last thing that every employer should do is to appreciate employees for their best efforts. During the holiday season, when everyone wants to enjoy festive occasions with their family members, employees do work hard for their organization. That’s the reason why companies are able to achieve their hard-to-get goals. So, by appreciating the great work done by hard-working employees, you can encourage them to give out their best and best efforts every time.
Conclusion:
With all such benefits, are you ready to implement a flexible holiday policy in your firm to increase employee engagement and productivity? If yes, then you are making a great decision. Also you may utilize EmpMonitor workforce management and productivity tracking features to gauge on the work engagement activities. Our employee monitoring tool gives you the ability to manage remote workforce efficiently so that management keep their eyes on overall work production together.
So what’s you take after going through this blog? If you have any further suggestions, please mention them in the comments section.
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