Is your business ready for year end?
Assuming there are no more shutdowns, Christmas is coming! The question is are you ready?
Here are a few tips which you need to consider now to ensure that all your staff have a good Christmas regardless of your sector.
1. Inclusion
If you have a diverse workforce, you must take everyone’s needs, like and dislikes into account.
Talk to your staff and find out what they want.
If you have staff working from home, do they want to have an in person social?
Do your Christian staff want time off? Do your Muslim staff want a boozy drinks party? Do your Jewish staff want to celebrate Christmas at all? Are your staff with kids struggling with childcare? Are your bereaved staff in need of extra support? Do you have people for whom Christmas and New Year is just another day and they want to ignore the festivities altogether?
If you don’t ask, you don’t know!!!
Do not make assumptions, this is how people feel excluded, offended or overwhelmem.
2. Annual Leave
If your holiday year runs from January to December, you need to remind people to take their annual leave entitlement for the year, especially if you have a ‘use it or lose it’ policy or a capped roll over.
You can force people to take annual leave, as long as the notice given is twice the length of the leave you want them to take. i.e. if you want someone to use five days of annual leave, you must give them at least 10 days notice.
3. Company Shutdown Days
If you are shutting down between Christmas and New Year, be sure to tell your staff with plenty of notice (see tip 2).
If they have to save holiday, remind them. If it is given in addition to annual leave entitlements, remind them.
Communication is essential and when done right, can earn you brownie points.
Don’t forget the Bank Holidays are Monday and Tuesday 27th and 28th of December and Monday 3rd January.
4. Party Planning
If you are planning a party, large or small, you need to ensure that everyone feels comfortable with the arrangements. You also need to ensure everyone feels safe getting home.
We talk about this every year and EVERY Year (apart from last year when Christmas was cancelled), we are dealing with the fall out of Christmas parties.
Again, communication is going to be key. Involve the staff and discuss how they want to mark the end of 2021.
