6 Tips to Help You Stay On Top of Your Business Goals this Holiday Season

Every employer knows that keeping their team on task and productive during the holiday season can be a unique challenge. In fact, over 30% of employees find it difficult to balance work and holiday obligations, according to a survey of more than 2,700 U.S. workers. 

Here are six tips to help you fight the end-of-the-year slump and stay on top of your business goals this holiday season.

1. Plan ahead

First things first, planning ahead is critical in order to compete with holiday distractions. Don’t leave the office for holiday break with a full inbox and a mile-long to-do list on your desk to come back to in January. Your future self won’t thank you for it. 

Also, make sure to communicate with your team about which tasks should be finished before the holiday break and which ones can wait until the new year. That way, they can prioritize their time and make deadlines. 

2. Take another look at your business expenses 

It can be a challenge to know what should and shouldn’t be considered a business deduction when it comes to holiday expenses. For example, did you know that you can write off your company’s holiday party? 

However, if you’re planning to write the party off, it has to be for employees only. If spouses or anyone outside of the company is invited, it falls outside of the requirements set by the IRS to count the party as a deductible. And don’t forget to keep accurate records of the party to provide as evidence during tax time.

Holiday expenses aside, December is also the last opportunity to get its tax preparations out of the way and write off any outstanding expenses that the company has. Otherwise, the accounting team will have to wait until next year. Take some time to find some things that need replacement and that can be written off in taxes for the year. This can be new office furniture, technology, and digital gadgets, or even a new company car!

3. Market your holiday hours internally and externally 

Holiday hours are important for both employees and customers to be aware of. If this information is not communicated to everyone with plenty of advance notice, you can run into a lot of problems, which can in turn lead to lost sales and revenue. 

For example, if you don’t give your customers notice about when you’ll be closed for the holiday break, they might be frustrated if they can’t place an order or get in contact with you before the new year. To avoid this, make sure to post all holiday hours on all social media channels, Google business listings, and Yelp listings. 

4. Get in the holiday spirit

December is a tough month for employees who are juggling end-of-year deadlines with their own holiday preparations with friends and family, so there may be a few Grinches and Scrooges walking around your office. 

Try boosting your office morale by planning a holiday spirit week with different activities for your employees! You can kick off a morning meeting with holiday trivia, have a potluck lunch, schedule themed dress-up days, and have a secret Santa gift exchange. 

5. Consider offering WFH days or more flexible hours

The holiday season is filled with parties, family obligations, and never-ending to-do lists. Therefore, if you can offer employees the opportunity to switch up their work hours or even work from home for a few days a week, it could lift a heavy burden off their shoulders. Additionally, giving them this flexibility will make them want to work harder when they’re on the clock, raising employee productivity levels. 

To help your remote employees stay on task at home, encourage them to use shared calendars so that it’s easy for the team to plan ahead around when people will be available for collaboration and meetings. As long as the work is getting done, research shows that flexible working hours are actually a productivity booster.

6. Bring in reinforcements

There’s nothing worse than having an enormous workload and an impending deadline. And during the holidays when employees often take time off for personal obligations like their children’s Christmas recital or traveling to visit extended family, you may be working with fewer hands than usual. 

Hiring contract professionals is a cost-effective way for employers to meet rising business demands while lifting the burden off overworked core employees, allowing them to take their PTO without feeling guilty about leaving their team hanging. 

Bringing in some extra hands might just be the perfect holiday gift to your employees!

Are you looking to hire contract employees this holiday season or in the new year? At WHO Staffing, we can help you find the perfect candidate for the job. Contact us today to finish the year strong, and head into 2022 on the right foot!