11/ 09/ 2004
by Tamara E. Holmes
As the nation’s companies begin to extend their payrolls, small-business owners will have to be more proactive when it comes to keeping their star employees happy. One way to do so is by adding some holiday cheer to the workplace, which can show employees how much they are appreciated and improve morale at the same time.
As a small-business owner, you might have less to offer employees than your Fortune 1000 counterparts when it comes to salaries, but you can make up for it with the workplace environment. Creating an atmosphere that is friendly and fun can go a long way toward letting employees know they are appreciated and keep them happy. The holidays are an ideal time to do this.
A holiday party is an excellent vehicle for allowing employees time to celebrate the year's achievments in a social setting and promoting camaraderie. If your business can afford to do so, let workers invite a guest. That way, you’re showing that you are supportive of your employees’ personal lives.
A party can be as big or as small as you want it to be. If you can’t afford to hold a party at a fancy banquet hall, restaurant or other similar venue, invite your employees to your home for dinner. The idea is to let employees interact with one another as people rather than merely as colleagues. A dinner also lets employees know that you are willing to go out of your way to validate their worth to your business.
Another way to increase holiday cheer and foster loyalty among employees is to offer a holiday bonus. Most people spend more money during the holidays to purchase gifts, to travel and to entertain, so a little extra cash can go a long way toward making employees happy. The amount does not have to be much. To employees, it will prove that you’re willing to share the profits of your business with them and that might make all the difference in the world should another job offer come in.
While most workers value extra money during the holidays, another commodity is time. Again, holiday shopping and travel can be costly not only in the financial sense. If you offer your employees an extra day or two of paid vacation time during the holidays, they can start their holiday travels early, spend a day shopping or merely use the time to wind down.
Even if you can’t shut the office down completely, you may be able to let employees have an extra day off as the schedule permits. That way, someone will be in the office every day, yet everyone will have a turn to play hooky with your consent.
If offering a full day off is not feasible, you might be able to let employees leave work early the day before a holiday. For example, letting your employees go at noon on Christmas Eve might not seem like much, but for employees who have small children or who are hosting out-of-town family members, the extra hours could be as appreciated as a visit from Santa Claus himself.
During the holiday season, be sensitive to your employees' varying religious faiths. Some employees may wish to trade a day off on Christmas Eve for another day during the year that is important in their own faith. Demonstrating flexibility and sensitivity will show all employees that you value them as individuals.
While it’s important to show appreciation for your employees at all times, the upcoming holidays are ripe with opportunities to make employees feel even more special than usual if you’re just a little bit creative.
