Managing Holiday Discombobulation
It’s crazy time again in the US. Our Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday marks the beginning of split attention spans, distractions, long lunch breaks, hurried phone calls in the middle of the business day… And that’s just the Managers!
Employees are focused elsewhere. Things seem to take longer. Even the most conscientious of your staff aren’t fully present.
So what do you do?
SURRENDER!
No – I didn’t say give up. I said “accept this state of mind and deal with it.” That’s what surrender means. “Oh Well! Now What?”
If you have a retail business, you must have everyone awake and alive. This is the heavy retail season, so everyone needs to be paying attention to sales, not be texting their BFF (best female friend… I think…) while they are being paid to wait on people who are trying to give you money.
With your new hires, especially those without a lot of work experience, be extremely clear about your standards. You expect that cell phones will be turned off and put away during their working hours. Make sure they have fair and logical breaks scheduled and tell them those are the times they may text, call, and deal with non-work issues. Teach them that the best way for all to succeed is to be cheerful and take care of the customer as quickly as possible.
Also set expectations for what they will do during slow times. Have a “to do” list: in offices you can have them typing, filing, and preparing shipping. In retail stores have them re-arranging merchandise, cleaning glass counters, and keeping the store neat and attractive.
Employees that have been there awhile also have a tendency to slide during the holidays. I usually pull them aside and ask them if they will help me set a good example for the “new kids on the block.”
Depending on the number of years an employee has been with you, you can also give them a “time bonus.”
A company I worked for years ago always had a slow week between Christmas and New Years Day. So a time bonus was given to people based on years of service. Brand new employees had to work that week. One to three year employees could choose which days they wanted to work. Over three years of employment and you didn’t have to come in. We were all salaried, so it basically was a paid vacation.
Everyone could come to work in blue jeans and t-shirts. It was a cleaning and organizing week so that just made sense. Casual attire relieved some of the pressure. And we just didn’t notice the longer lunches.
The loyalty and camaraderie created by this policy was quite impressive. It showed we rewarded loyalty, and we were aware of their needs. It also sent a message we were making an effort to be fair.
Obviously some companies can’t take that down time. But find some way to acknowledge that things are a little screwy this time of year. When you name it you can manage it. Look at it squarely and make some decisions to make the best of it.
Ask employees for suggestions (Just because you ask doesn’t mean you have to do everything they suggest!) Be creative. Think positively and pro-actively. It will make the next six weeks far more sane for you and your staff (not to mention your customers!)
Surrender. Your heart will thank you.
Cheers!
Beth
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Beth Terry, CSP, is a Certified Speaking Professional and Trainer. She has authored two books and has several more on the way. With executive level experience in real estate, insuranc, and retail, she’s got a handle on managing people in many fields. Contact her through her website or call 877-672-5008.
©2007 Beth Terry Seminars, Inc.
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