Helpful Initiatives For Supporting Employee Well-Being During Holidays

Celebrate the Holidays

Holiday celebrations can boost morale, collaboration and engagement. Beyond these practical benefits, celebrations can help employees relax and unwind, which could reduce stress.

As part of your company’s holiday celebration, throw a party. Or host a contest, raffle or giveaway. You could also challenge departments to decorate their spaces. Or invite employees to participate in a charitable activity since giving back can promote feelings of goodwill and well-being.

Promote the Employee Assistance Program

In addition to spotting signs of employee stress, train supervisors, managers and HR professionals to implement an open-door policy and invite employees to talk about anything at any time. Likewise, promote your company’s Employee Assistance Program.

As part of the EAP, share information about confidential counseling. And offer a list of helpful resources, including life coaches, support groups, financial resources, and wellness courses. You could also provide links to helpful stress-reducing activities, such as mindfulness, healthy eating, physical fitness, sleep hygiene, and financial planning. Assure employees that the EAP is available after the holidays, too, as you promote wellness year-round.

Offer Wellness Incentives

Improve holiday workplace wellness with relevant tools, perks and incentives. Numerous options help your staff adopt healthy habits, manage stress and balance work-life expectations.

Examples of wellness incentives include yoga and tai chi classes or mindfulness, nutrition or life coaching. Or provide spa gift cards, massages, gym memberships, and flexible time off. You could also encourage healthy choices by promoting walking meetings or sponsoring a weight loss competition, holiday-themed 5K or health-conscious potluck. Hosting a charity drive is another way to increase goodwill and gratitude.

Appreciate Each Employee

Show your staff that you appreciate their hard work, talents and contributions. Highlighting strengths can empower employees and improve morale, engagement and mental health. This festive season employee support tool also helps your staff members feel valued and motivated as they navigate the holiday crunch.

To show your appreciation, provide a catered breakfast or lunch and give cash bonuses or gift cards. Also, write personalized notes that detail what you appreciate about your employees and ask all staff members to share similar sentiments on a public bulletin board. Offer year-end awards and recognition, too, for the employees who contributed to your company’s successes.

Improve Communication

Open communication gives employees a voice and creates transparency that improves motivation and engagement. Adequate communication also allows your entire staff to collaborate as they solve problems and manage their work and personal lives.

Improve your company’s communication with regular updates via email, Slack or a similar tool. Also, share New Year initiatives now to give staff time to adjust to the changes. Encourage employees to share their work and personal concerns with supervisors, HR and trusted co-workers, too, as you promote wellness.

Take Paid Time Off

Employees may hesitate to take time off because of work deadlines and financial pressures. Yet rest can help your staff manage stress and recharge.

As you encourage employees to recharge, consider shutting down the company for a few days. If that’s not possible, encourage managers to evaluate the workload, prioritize essential tasks, delay non-essential projects, and rearrange the division of labor. Or provide flexible schedules and give individuals agency over their work-life balance. You could also remind staff to turn off email and message notifications and truly unplug as they enjoy the season’s festivities.

Create a Return To Work Action Plan

While supporting employee well-being during holidays is a priority, also consider ways to facilitate a smooth transition into the New Year. Employees could feel more confidence and less stress or frustration when they know what to expect after the holidays.

Your company’s Return to Work action plan can feature open communication to ensure everyone is on the same page with expectations, deadlines and projects. Likewise, customize schedules and give staff a few days to manage email, messages and other obligations. And prioritize tasks and objectives so employees know which projects to tackle first.

Extend Stress Reducing Practices

While reducing holiday stress is a priority, look beyond the season and into the New Year. Plan to incorporate various practices that support employee well-being every day.

Stress-reducing practices might involve sharing monthly gratitude for employees and encouraging staff to appreciate each other. And continue to promote EAP. Offer regular wellness classes and incentives, too, as you promote employee well-being.

Everyone in your company benefits when you implement holiday workplace wellness. Looking for comprehensive HR solutions that prioritize employee well-being? Discover how Exact Payroll can assist in creating a supportive workplace environment all year round.