As the end of the year approaches, all the holiday cheer can make your employees want to be anywhere but at the office. They may be distracted and lacking motivation, thinking about their holiday plans. As much as you likely understand and even feel similarly, as a manager you still have a job to do – so does the rest of your team. Get your employees to work harder during the holiday season with these tips:

• Provide Some Incentives

Reinvigorate your team’s engagement by setting forth a challenge. Set some goals for them to meet before the end of the year, with an exciting incentive, such as a prize, bonus, or extra paid day off. Having something to strive for can make the workplace a little more high energy during a time employees may otherwise be unmotivated.

• Create an Enjoyable Workplace

It’s understandably difficult for your employees to be at work when they’d rather be off planning celebrations, spending time with loved ones, or doing any relaxing activity besides working. Instead of trying to force them to forget about the holidays, try to embrace it by making the workplace a bit more enjoyable than normal. Bring in some treats, arrange a fun social event, or give small gifts to lift the mood.

• Encourage Balance

Keep your employees productive by making sure they don’t burn out, especially if there is seasonal increase in demand or less staff because of vacation time. Be on the lookout for signs they are overworked, such as a change in attitude or decline in performance. Encourage your team to take breaks or time off, and feel free to come to you if their workloads become too heavy.

• Ensure Proper Coverage

To get your employees to work harder, do what you can to show you value their job satisfaction. If you don’t have enough staff to keep up with the workload during the holidays, don’t force the remaining ones to pick up all the slack if it’s too much. Review the workload to see if there are tasks that can be reprioritized or consider hiring temporary employees to fill in the gaps in coverage.

Keep productivity on track by teaming up with PrideStaff San Jose for your hiring needs. As an experienced staffing firm, we work with our clients to determine their needs in order to provide quality candidates from our network for temporary employment and direct hire. Contact PrideStaff San Jose today to learn more about our staffing services.