Christmas can be a difficult time to be at work for employees who celebrate the holiday. We all want to spend time with family and friends, enjoy the holidays and not be at work. But for many businesses, Christmas can be a busy time or a time to take stock ready for the new year and this means having staff working. So how can you keep them happy this Christmas?
Make sure employees are paid early
It can be easy to forget that Christmas Day and Boxing Day are bank holidays. If they fall on the weekend, the Monday and Tuesday afterwards become automatic bank holidays. If you normally pay staff around the 25th of the month right through to the 28-29th, it is worth ensuring staff are paid early to avoid this cluster of bank holidays that could delay their pay by several days.
Not only that but it also helps staff. Most people have a lot of expenses at Christmas and receiving their December wage just before the holiday begins can be a huge help.
Have a Christmas party
Christmas parties can be a great team building exercise and a way for you to show your appreciation for your staff. Depending on what the company does, sometimes these are held in early January or just before Christmas. You should be able to allocate money for this and show it as business expenses to help offset some of the cost – your bookkeeping team will be able to manage this for you.
Create a festive atmosphere
For some businesses, the festive atmosphere is part of preparing for Christmas with music, lights and Christmas trees. You don’t need to go overhaul with the decorations, but small touches such as lights of a tree can really help boost the cheery atmosphere. This will also benefit the staff working over Christmas and make them feel as if their happiness matters.
Be as flexible as possible
Some staff won’t need much time off around Christmas where others might have a bigger need if they have to travel far to see family. Try to be as flexible as possible and also offer incentives to staff that work for other benefits. You could set up a system where staff work one Christmas and have the next one off. Alternatively, they could work Christmas Eve and Day one year and have Boxing Day and the next day off then switch the following the year.
Consider a Christmas bonus
You might also want to have a Christmas bonus or a gift for your employees. This could be a one-off monetary gift or some other benefit for larger companies. It is good to show your appreciation and boost employee morale, and this is a great time of the year to do this. In fact, studies have shown that 58% of staff would prefer some form of Christmas reward rather than just cash, so be a bit creative with what you give your employees.
A successful, happy Christmas
By going that extra mile for your staff at Christmas, you can make a big difference and start the new year in a positive way, working together as a team for company success.
Cintra Payroll is a managed payroll provider with a difference – we value long-lasting partnerships with our clients to improve their working practices, saving time and money. To find out more about outsourcing your payroll, you can contact us using the details below.