image source: Cedarburg Chamber of Commerce
Well, 2024 is finally coming to an end. With Thanksgiving being late this year, for many of us, December will be even crazier than usual. Figuring out vacation schedules and determining who gets which days off is one struggle many of us face. For some companies, this is easier as they close for the holidays themselves and do limited hours during those weeks in December. Still, for other businesses that remain open, figuring out who gets time off is a challenge.
Hopefully, your business has already set up a policy regarding all time-off requests. For our retail and hospitality friends, time off during the holidays often is limited or prohibited. Other businesses may allow it, but will still need to maintain productivity. If you do allow time off, make sure that your policy is clear and up front — let employees know when the schedule opens and how soon they can request time off; ensure that employees know if it is first come, first receive, or does seniority play a part as well. Understand that we all want to enjoy the holidays, so ensuring your employees know their commitment to work can allow them to plan around it.
For those who are working during the holidays, see what you can do to help reduce stress. It can be as easy as bringing in donuts and coffee each Friday during the month of December. Other options include Secret Santa (or Snowman) programs for employees who want to participate, holiday lights contests where employees send in photos of their houses or pushing back projects that have more flexible timeframes.
The holidays also are party time. For businesses that aren’t going full-tilt, many have a holiday or employee appreciation party in December. These events are great opportunities to let our staff know how they are appreciated. These can be as simple as a catered in lunch to a dinner out.
Take some time to determine what your employees are looking for. Some offices have found that employees have limited out of office time and would prefer a simple lunch during work hours rather than an additional night for work. For businesses that are struggling, if a full lunch is beyond what you can do, consider a potluck, where the company provides the main dish and drinks, and employees bring sides and desserts. Additionally, if December is too busy, go ahead and schedule something for January. January in Wisconsin can be a bit dreary and gray, so having some fun things scheduled can lift the mood of your employees.
Lastly, December also brings out the time of bonuses. For companies that provide performance bonuses, ensure you have a well-set up program of goals and steps. For companies that offer holiday bonuses, ensure employees understand how they are distributed and how you determine their availability. If it has been a tough year and bonuses will be smaller than usual, communicate that to employees. If bonuses will be bigger than normal, make sure employees know why and that this might not be the same in upcoming years.
Once you have all of this figured out, get out and try and enjoy the holidays. Head out to a Festive Friday Eve in Cedarburg, grab dinner at one of our great local restaurants, pick up that last-minute gift at one of our shops or maybe just a drink somewhere.
Here at OED, we are wishing you a Happy Holiday Season.
Kathleen Cady Schilling is executive director of the Ozaukee Economic Development. This article was originally posted in the Ozaukee News Graphic