How to Help Your Team Manage Holiday Stress [+ Free Download]

The holidays are a stressful time. Between holiday tasks and end-of-year deadlines, your team has a lot to juggle. This year, with COVID-19 disrupting their holiday plans, employees may feel especially overwhelmed. With everything else going on, how can you help your team manage holiday stress?

Luckily, there are ways you can help your team feel supported and motivated. Here are some helpful holiday stress tips you can pass onto your team to help brighten their spirits.

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Make time to celebrate

This season’s festivities may look different this year, but that doesn’t mean you can't celebrate. With a little creativity, you can keep your team connected, even while staying apart. If you can't get together in-person, explore virtual holiday party ideas for your remote team. Virtual Secret Santa, holiday movie trivia, or ugly sweater contests are all fun ways to bring teams together.

Foster a culture of self-care and compassion

Winter is a tough time of year for many people. The lack of sunlight and cold weather can lead to feelings of isolation and boredom. Ask your team to submit ideas for mood-boosting activities like fitness challenges, healthy recipe swaps, or even a team book club. Embrace healthy activities that encourage your team to get active (even when it gets chilly!) and maintain a sense of connection.

Recognize effort and reward achievements

Employees need to feel seen, valued, and appreciated. A simple word of encouragement can go a long way, particularly during stressful or challenging times. Handwritten notes are always a thoughtful touch, but if you have a larger team, this may not be feasible. Employee experience platforms like Cooleaf make it easy to recognize and reward your people for going the extra mile.

Ask for feedback to manage holiday stress

Get ahead of the holiday stress by sending a pulse survey to your team. By gathering feedback on team culture, work environments, and work-life balance, you can quickly resolve engagement issues before they impact your team's productivity. Listening is your key to happier employees – which, in turn, means happier customers.

Show appreciation for your team with meaningful, personalized gifts

Remind employees that you care with a thoughtful holiday gift. Desk organizers, protective face masks, or coffee mugs make great gifts, or you can pick a gift card from a favorite store. With Cooleaf's holiday gifting feature, you can set a rewards budget and choose from thousands of gifts, or let employees pick for themselves.

Looking for more ways to boost your team's spirits during the holidays? We teamed up with Thankful to create a free white paper with 8 more tips:

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