The winter months can be both a blessing and a curse for your business’ productivity over the winter months. On one hand, employees can actually be more productive in winter. The inviting heat of the summer months can be distracting to employees, and cause them to waver in their focus unless properly motivated.
When they look out of the window and see snow, sleet and rain, they could be more likely to focus less of their attention on what’s going on outside and more attention on their work.
However, the winter also brings with it its own set of threats to workplace productivity. From the inevitable ravages of colds and bugs rampaging around the workplace to more insidious threats like seasonal depression, the winter can stymie productivity just as easily as driving it. As a small business owning Dad, it’s up to you to take the reins (yes, like Santa) and steer your business (sleigh) towards a happy, healthy and productive festive period…
Guard Against SAD
Many of your employees will start to experience Seasonal Affective Disorder over the winter months. Not to mention the sadness many of your employees will be feeling if they have a complicated relationship with Christmas. While the holidays can be a time of great joy for most of us, they can really twist the knife when we have traumatic memories associated with the season.
Consider investing in optional light boxes for employees which give employees the mood-boosting properties of sunlight when it’s absent from the skies. Maybe you could implement some social and team building activities, or offer employees flexible working hours over the holidays?
You’re in a position to make a huge difference to your employees’ mental wellbeing while also driving productivity.
Make Sure Your AC Isn’t A Magic Carpet For Germs
We all know the productivity benefits of keeping your ambient temperature just right all year round. However, now’s the time to invest in some routine maintenance. If you haven’t used your system for a while you may find that it needs emergency air conditioning repair to get it ready for the holidays. Making sure that it is clean and functioning well will prevent it from transmitting virulent germs through the office.
Who could possibly be productive surrounded by runny noses?
Your Christmas Bonuses Don’t Have To Be Monetary… But You Should Have Them!
We all know that Christmas bonuses can be an extremely powerful tool in driving productivity and employee motivation over the holidays. They can give flagging employees a much needed pick-me-up and self-doubters a surge of confidence.
The trouble is that if you have had a less profitable quarter than you were expecting, you may not have the capital to give Christmas bonuses without seriously impeding your cash flow. If this is the case, remember that Christmas bonuses don’t have to be monetary!
Extra holiday days, getting to go home early or even a coffee made every morning by the boss (that’s you) can be a great way of showing your workforce that they matter to you.
Take the steps to safeguard your productivity now and you could propel your business into a highly profitable new year!