5 Ways to Engage and Motivate Employees this Christmas

If there is one festive tradition companies would happily see the back of, it’s the drop in productivity and employee motivation in the run-up to the festive season.

One study found that 54% of UK workers switch to holiday mode from 16th December, with younger workers giving up doing serious work altogether. For many, the ‘take your foot off the pedal’ countdown to Christmas continues long before that! This may be due to the fact that employees are excited about the upcoming festive break or possibly because some staff find December to be the most stressful time of the year.

To help you combat the challenge of boosting employee morale, we’ve come up with five simple ideas to maintain a positive company culture and keep your staff engaged and motivated this Christmas.

1. Embrace charity and community

A key way to embrace and enhance employee engagement is by giving back to your community with initiatives such as helping at the local food bank, volunteering at the local homeless shelter, or visiting nearby retirement homes. Not only does it give your staff a break from their daily routine with a focus on doing good, but working together on a project that gives to others will also help to foster a sense of togetherness amongst your employees and virtual teams.

As well as a commitment to community, another way to get into the spirit of giving is through festive fundraising. For example, your corporate culture committee could organise events such as the Samaritan’s shoebox gift appeal which involve employees working together to wrap gifts for children around the world.

2. Celebrate the festive fun

Research has shown that office-based festive activities and paraphernalia can, in fact, boost workplace morale. Further to this, one study found that happier employees were between 12 and 20% more productive.

So, encouraging employees to embrace the spirit of Christmas with festive fun such as Secret Santa, a relaxed dress code, and a decorate your desk competition, could pay dividends to both their engagement and to your output.

3. Extra-curricular activities

The holiday season is the perfect excuse to arrange social events outside of work. Whether it’s a trip to the local pantomime, museum, or escape room, the change of scenery and different experience is great for team building.

Another option is to gift your employees a Select dining voucher so that they can enjoy a Christmas meal out together as a team at a wide selection of restaurants. This is also a great way of uniting remote employees and remote teams for an occasion that will linger longer in their memories than a traditional weekly meeting. 

4. Extra time off

The Christmas season is a busy season. Whether it’s preparing for the annual family get-together or hunting down those elusive Christmas presents, everyone could do with additional time.

That’s why gifting your employees extra time away from the office will help them feel more appreciated and boost productivity. Research has shown that employees with a good work-life balance work 21% harder and that employees whose companies close for additional days during the festive season are 42% more productive.

So, offering your staff Christmas shopping hours or an additional festive day off can be good for everyone.

5. Reward them

Our research uncovered that 31% of employees expect a Christmas gift from employers, and 60% of employees are more productive if Christmas incentives are on offer.

Not recognising employees can be costly – it’s one of the main reasons employees quit.

When we asked employees how they’d like employers to reward them, 82% preferred a gift card as it allows them to:

• Choose a gift they want
• Redeem them online or instore
• Re-gift them to someone else

Our gift card range is available in physical and digital formats, can be spent with hundreds of high street brands, and you can personalise them with your company branding, bespoke message, or inspirational quote.  

If you want to boost your employee engagement and motivation this holiday season, we can help you select the perfect festive gift. Get in touch on 020 4517 5862 to find out more.