What’s your first thought when you think of Christmas? Stress, frenzy and chaos or contemplation, harmony and benevolence?
Often, the former has the upper hand. For many, the days preceding Christmas are filled with unyielding stress, racing from one business or social engagement to the next and heaving a heavy sigh of relief when the last holiday has been celebrated – now we can relax until New Year’s!
We asked ourselves, what could businesses do for their employees to help them slow down and get in the Christmas spirit, before the holidays begin? We mean, above and beyond the annual company Christmas party or business holidays over New Year’s, although these festivities certainly help to decelerate.
Take a moment to reflect on your personal values associated with Christmas. Perhaps such qualities as brotherly love, tradition and gratefulness come to mind, not to mention the pleasure of giving gifts. Don’t you think companies and leaders should act on these values, passing them on to their employees as the Christmas season approaches?
Gratitude
One engaging method for expressing your gratitude to your employees at the end of the years is a scheduled, annual talk. Here, you first give your employee the opportunity to convey his or her reflections on the past year, with an open ear to their candid feedback on your performance. What has gone well this year? Which hurdles had to be taken? Afterwards, it’s your turn to thank your employee for her or his contribution to your business in 2018. At the same time, you can sketch out a roadmap for the coming year, defining mutual goals and instilling fresh motivation for 2019.
Charity & Helpfulness
At no other time of year are donation campaigns as successful as they are during the Christmas season. People are more willing to share their possession with others who have less. Why shouldn’t enterprises also follow this tradition? We don’t mean that high earners should distribute their wealth among lesser earners. We’re talking about sharing knowledge and skills. Create a platform for experienced employees or specialists to pass on their abilities to colleagues. Inhouse workshops, for example, are an excellent format for long-term employees to share their knowledge and experience. Or, on a similar platform, younger employees could support older ones with digital issues.
Give the gift of recognition!
Gifts are a part of the Christmas season and many company leaders acknowledge their employees with a small Christmas gift. Take this giving one step further and present your employees with recognition and knowledge, providing positivity and fresh energy for the coming year.
And then there’s you!
Amid all the giving, don’t forget the most important person in your life – yourself! Only a physically and mentally healthy leader is a boon to his or her employees. Take the time to look back over 2018 and note those things that meant most to you. We wish you a very long list full of fulfilled New Year’s goals from the onset of 2018. If not, perhaps you expected too much?
Great expectations are often supplanted by great events and successes. And that’s good. Still, occasionally, small happenings occur that touch only the close circle of your family, and suddenly you know what is truly important in your life.
Use the hiatus between holidays. Take a seat, make yourself a cup of tea or spiced wine and think about your wish-list for 2019. When we were children, it was enough to discover the shiny new bicycle under the tree and we knew it would be a fabulous new year! What do we really need to put on our list today to make the coming year just as fabulous? Give yourself the gift of time and contemplation!
In this spirit, we wish you a warm Christmas season and smooth sailing to the year’s end!
