The Christmas season will often see a slow down for some companies as staff take leave and general wider interest subsides for a few weeks. However - if your business is customer facing - the festive period can represent huge opportunity for inflated sales.
To embrace that elevated interest, your small business needs motivated and productive staff. Here are three tips on how to keep yours happy over the holidays:
Encourage breaks
One of the joys of Christmas is the ability the season has to bring families together. Whilst the day itself remains a holiday for everybody, encouraging your staff to take a few extra days off can work wonders on morale.
Of course, you don't want to under-staff yourself, but making sure that every one of your employees gets adequate time to see the ones closest to them can be crucial in maintaining productivity throughout the festive period.
Keep track of your finances
According to research from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the companies that remain the most productive are those that can avoid getting caught up in too much government red tape. This is no truer than over Christmas.
If business has spiked recently, chances are the amount of tax you will owe will be inflated, too. If you take leave yourself and let staff deal with this issue as they go, their motivation and productivity is likely to plummet.
Implementing small business software such as CashManager from Accomplish is an easy way to keep a close eye on the overall finances of your business. Furthermore, training your employees to use the software can make their lives easier, too.
Offer bonuses
Whilst there are many considerations if you want to put a bonus plan into place over Christmas, rewards don't necessarily have to be financial. Encouraging everything from reciprocal gift schemes to a Christmas party can help keep staff happy and motivated across the festive period and into 2015.