With the holiday season almost here, most of us feel as if it’s already time to celebrate. And, in many ways, it is! After all, Christmas music can be heard everywhere you go, people are out shopping for gifts and Christmas movies are playing non-stop on television. Yes, it’s that very joyous time of year that most of us can’t help but start celebrating early. But, for business owners, that’s not always so easy.
Many small business owners all across Canada see things as “business as usual” right up until the last day of work. And this only makes sense considering that the holiday season is often the busiest time of year for them. Because this often means servicing an onslaught of new customers, it also means that things can get a bit more stressful than normal. It’s important to remember that your staff members are bound to feel that stress too.
Keeping employee morale high is an important task to accomplish all year long. However, during the holiday season, extra attention should be devoted to ensuring that your team members are kept happy. At MeloTel, we often do things to keep the mood light at work. Our experience has shown us that this helps for everyone to have more productive days. In today’s blog, we’ll share five of our top ideas for keeping employee morale high around the office.
1. Post funny notes. All companies have rules of some kind. And our company is no different. But, at the MeloTel offices, we like to have fun with the way we enforce some of these rules. In a number of rooms – our washroom is the perfect example – we post humorous notes about what is to be expected of our employees. Whimsical suggestions about how to keep the washroom clean is just one way to keep the mood light throughout each day.
2. Fill the office with uniqueness. We recently set up a new fish tank at MeloTel. Our office is now the home to a few tinfoil barbs. They are basically slightly larger than goldfish and have a silvery, tinfoil-like colour. Not only does this fish tank give our staff members some moments of calm and relaxation, but it helps to add to the humorous aspect of our surroundings. Our fish tank is located directly below a giant painting of a cat!
3. Promote the bigger picture. Sure, there are a bunch of things that you can do around the office to keep your staff members in good moods. But, at the end of the day, each and every person on your team needs to believe in the company’s overall goal. Our staff is made up of very energetic and determined individuals who believe in MeloTel’s mission statement to make customers happy. We encourage this belief every day and have such a strong team because of it.
4. Show that you care. One of the biggest reasons that we have a staff made up of people who care about the company is because the company cares about them. Be sure to treat your team members as human beings. This doesn’t mean that you have to become everyone’s best friend. However, it does mean that the needs and concerns of your staff members must be considered. Caring about their life events and being there to help solve their problems goes a long way.
5. Acknowledge jobs well done. As important as it is to develop strong relationships with the members of your team is to acknowledge their contributions to your company. You wouldn’t be able to succeed without your staff. Be sure to congratulate and thank them anytime their contributions help to further your company. Remember that this is the time for giving. So be sure to show your generosity this holiday season. It will pay off big time in the new year!