How to improve morale during the holidays

Maybe it’s because of the canceled company holiday party or low year-end sales numbers, but it seems like this holiday season is lacking the same excitement surrounding past years.

Even when the economy was doing great, the holidays always have a way of distracting us from the things we need to get done around the office. With everything going on in employees’ lives outside of work, it can be tough to find the motivation to tackle that to-do list by the time New Year’s rolls around.

Here are a few tips to motivate employees and boost morale during the holidays:

• Food. Throughout the year, especially during the holidays, food has magical way of bringing people together. Hold a bake sale, coordinate a luncheon or bring in a bag of bagels for your coworkers. It’s a quick way to lift everyone’s spirits without anyone having to spend a lot of money.


• Compliments. Encourage supervisors to hand out compliments to employees when they notice positive work or achievements. Compliments are also an immediate way to lift spirits and make employees feel confident in their work. And, they’re free. Simply saying “thank you” can do wonders for employee morale.


• Holiday cards. Business holiday cards are just a small way businesses can show their appreciation for all of the hard work employees have put in throughout the year. Take a few minutes to write a hand-written message on the inside of the card to add a personal touch.


• Fun. Find simple ways to improve morale at work every day. Hold contests, bring in pizza for lunch or make up a nonsense holiday, like “Funny Hat Day.” Decorate the office with winter decorations to brighten up the office and encourage teamwork. Keep it simple, just focus on getting everyone involved and having a great time.


• Humor. Hold an event that brings some laughter into the office. Organize an office-wide activity where supervisors hand out funny awards to employees. Not every employee views formal awards as fair, or feel left out. Funny awards get everyone laughing, whether they receive an award or not. You don’t have to spend a dime on this one either. Use supplies in the office to create awards that everyone will love. A word of caution - keep awards focused on what people did well, not on something they failed to do.

Don’t wait until January 2 to start improving employee morale around the office, get going now. With simple ideas and some creativity, a little bit of effort on your part can go a long way.