With Christmas rapidly approaching, staff morale tends to decrease as the workload gets harder and staff start to dream of that Christmas break. The build up to Christmas is a time that will really trust your managerial credentials as keeping staff morale high in such a key trading period is essential. Here are three simple ways that you can do just that and ensure that all of your staff are happy right up until their well earned break:
Make Sure they’re Properly Trained
Staff members are much happier when they know what they’re doing. If you’ve worked your way up from the bottom of a business, you’ll know how frustrating it is when a customer asks you a question that you don’t know the answer to and, from a managerial perspective; you’ll know how annoying it is to lose business because of it.
Christmas is all about the rush for businesses and time means money. For this reason, you should invest time into making sure that all of your staff members from the bottom to the top of the business are properly trained.
From quick refresher training for sales assistants to advanced training for selected management, training can be the key. Media training courses like the ones provided by Media Mentor can be pivotal if a problem arises and can save you thousands of pounds in lost custom, so remember that staff training should include everyone and not just those at the bottom.
Offer a Christmas Freebie
Sometimes, staff lose their focus in the approach to Christmas because they feel that they do not get the recognition that they deserve. In truth, some staff members will feel like this no matter what you do, but buying each staff member a small gift should bridge the gap significantly and show them that they are all valued.
The employee Christmas gift idea that you buy is dependent on how many staff you employ. A personal gift will always go down well if you know enough about the staff member but, if you employ too many, an individual generic gift such as a bottle of wine each or a chocolate selection will suffice. If in doubt, simply buy a tab behind the local bar one night after work.
Make Team Bonding a Priority
Sometimes when you’re feeling down, the workplace can feel like a lonely world. For this reason, you should encourage team bonding as much as possible. Whatever form you choose for this is will work, and it entirely depends on the scale. A weekend retreat will always bring staff closer but, if you don’t have the budget, a nice meal out together should be just as good.
