Working during the holiday season can be difficult for employees. For many, what is supposed to be a happy time can be quite stressful. People may be thinking about how they will manage their time with family and run holiday errands on top of completing their work assignments. It is important for managers to find ways to help workers cope with this stress so that they are productive and healthy.
Signs of Stress: How Managers Can Promote a Healthy Workplace
Managers can look for certain signs to determine whether their employees may be dealing with potential holiday stress.
- A change in normal behavior
- A change in appearance/hygiene
- Tension among other workers
- Change in quality of work or timeliness
- Lack of focus
- Suddenly calling out from work
These are just a few examples of potential signs of stress, however, how managers choose to forward is equally as important.
- Schedule wellness breaks (walking, yoga, etc).
- Prioritize projects based on the deadline
- Encourage workers to work from home or stay home if feeling sick
- Provide financial wellness programs to help with issues like budgeting
- Avoid assigning workers too many tasks
If more serious issues come up, managers should take immediate action to speak with the employee. Doing so could help address the employee’s health and safety issues. It’s a good idea to make your company’s human resources department part of the conversation.
How HR Leaders Can Help With Holiday Stress and Prevent Burnout
HR leaders in a company hold an important role. Sometimes that role includes overseeing employee wellness programs. HR leaders understand that the health and wellness of the employees are of high importance. It is the HR department that is responsible for getting workers engaged in a wellness program or initiative to reduce turnover, attrition, and employee stress.
Time for Projects
HR can encourage managers to give employees more time to complete tasks, especially regarding big projects due during the holiday or after. This can greatly benefit workers that may be feeling overwhelmed during the holiday season.
Flexible Schedules
Create policies that will allow for flexible work schedules. This will help workers feel less stressed about any personal or professional tasks they have to get done during the holiday season. You might consider creating a schedule with flexible work hours or settings so that workers can better plan their time. Some companies also implement mental health days during the holidays for this reason.
Financial Programs
Finances can be a big stressor during the holiday season. Families are wondering how they will afford to travel, host family, buy presents, pay their bills, etc. Some companies employ what is known as support coordinators who can help employees with their financial goals. You might also consider finding other resources for employees like helpful videos or applications that will teach them about financial planning and wellness.
Employee Meetups
Come up with opportunities for employees to share their emotional health concerns. Some businesses do this in the form of happy hour events. They give workers a chance to meet new people and share what’s going on in their lives outside of work. This can be especially helpful for workers that may spend a lot of time working from home, away from human interaction that they may have been used to before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alltrust Insurance: Prioritize Employee Wellness With Us
Creating an effective wellness program doesn’t have to be a difficult task. Alltrust is here to help. We can design a program that can help increase employee productivity, not just during the holiday season but year-round. Implementing a wellness program can reduce other healthcare-related expenses for a company. Contact us today to find out how we can help your company!
