For leaders, the holiday season is the ultimate test of how we manage stress. It’s the “most wonderful time of the year,” but also, the time when business and family obligations increase in tandem. It’s all too easy to burn the candle on both ends, which can be kryptonite for morale. The onus is on leaders to create an environment where employees can close out the year on a high note. Finishing critical projects and spending quality time with the family should not be mutually exclusive.
It’s been 17 years since I launched my company Jotform and along the way, I’ve learned some invaluable lessons about how to navigate the holidays and help my team to stay motivated. Here are some of the strategies that have worked for me.
Ease into (and out of) the holidays
In my early days as a business owner, come December, I’d work around the clock to clear everything from my plate. My goal was to be able to check out and be fully present with my family. But by the time the holidays came around, I was so burned out that I could barely enjoy my time off. I was also already worrying about returning to the office.
This anticipatory anxiety, which experts liken to “Sunday scaries,” is common among professionals. A 2022 survey by Monster found that 87% of over 1,000 American workers across industries experienced post-vacation stress and anxiety. Plus, 72% refrained from requesting PTO just to avoid that stress.
The best way to combat this form of anxiety is to ease yourself into and out of vacation time. Simone Stolzoff, author of The Good Enough Job, calls it creating an “offramp.” Stolzoff explained to the New York Times that this entails pre-vacation preparation like creating a list of priorities to tackle when you’re back in the office. I do this and encourage our employees to do the same. That way, we’re not racing to tick everything off our to-do lists before the holidays. When we focus on the essential tasks, the “big stuff,” and log off knowing that we’ll tackle the rest after returning, there’s less anxiety about tasks slipping through the cracks.
Close the office
We all know the term “FOMO” or “fear of missing out.” While usually, FOMO is about fun stuff, there’s also a particular type of FOMO about work—that feeling when you’re away from the office but colleagues are working. Anxiety inevitably bubbles up that you’re not there, too. On the other hand, knowing the office will be fully closed—for everyone—can boost productivity while employees are still in the office.
As Harvard Business Review reports, employees at offices that close additional days (beyond federal holidays) are significantly more likely to report higher productivity during the time that they’re actually in the office. They also report higher satisfaction leading into the new year.
For businesses, closing the office may come at an expense, but it’s an investment that will pay off in spades, replenishing motivation when employees need it the most.
Champion flexibility
For organizations that can’t fully close during the holidays, flexibility can also go a long way. At Jotform, employees appreciate the opportunity to work remotely as needed. We trust that they’ll get their work done and research backs us up. In one study of 2,000 U.S. employees, 91% of respondents said they’re just as productive or more productive when working remotely. The same study found that the ability to work remotely was the second biggest motivator for employees during the holidays, second only to a bigger bonus.
Our employees can also arrange their schedules as needed, to accommodate family obligations and last-minute holiday prep. My door’s always open (including the figurative door when I’m working from home), so that employees can discuss their needs.
In the end, every company has to figure out what works best for its employees. To keep both productivity and spirits high, the most important thing is to show employees that you value their contributions and understand their need to nurture their lives outside of work, especially during the holiday season.
