Holidays create a flurry of projects, as well as a mixed bag of merriment and stress for your insurance business, customers and their employees. While productivity for holiday-related activities increases, workflow is potentially impacted. Here are a few tips to offer your employer-clients to help employees survive holiday stress.
Encourage Eating Right. Treats seem to magically appear in mass quantities over the holiday season. From baked goods to potluck dishes — the opportunity to overindulge and gorge on yummy things can lead to sluggish behavior. Suggest that your employer-clients find ways to encourage healthy choices.
Promote Wellness: Colds and flus tend to spread during the fall and winter. Advocate wellness practices like frequently washing hands and staying home when sick, etc. Place hand sanitizers and tissues around your office. Suggest that your employer-clients engage their teams by asking employees to share creative activities that encourage staying well.
Reward Employees. Show employees that the work they do is valued and appreciated. Give gifts to those who go the extra mile. Suggest employer-clients bring in a chair massage therapist for a day for their overachievers. Other ideas include: Buying gift cards. Creating special awards. Giving handwritten thank you notes for a job well done. Finding other ways to publicly acknowledge employees who take initiative to get things done. If you have the budget for it, offer to pay for some of these things as a thank you to your employer-client.
Provide Flexible Scheduling. Help team members balance work and personal schedules by offering adjustable hours. Allow remote work opportunities. Consider four-day work weeks with longer workdays. Build a trust relationships with clear expectations by allowing employees to accomplish goals in an adjustable shift and/or telework environment.
Increase Holiday Pay. Buying gifts places additional financial stress on some employees. Consider offering additional shifts to earn more money over the holidays.
The holiday season is a perfect time for you and your employer-clients to showcase gratitude and compassion. Remove chaos by taking steps to ensure a safe environment is created for team members.
How do can you help employer-clients and their employees cope with stress?