Contributed by Cassidy Webb; cassidy@recoverylocal.org

The time between Thanksgiving and the New Year brings many challenges to workplaces in regard to work performance, sickness, and productivity. Therefore, keeping employees excited, engaged, productive, and healthy is difficult during the holiday season. Productive and healthy employees are crucial for the success of any company - small or large. When employees become caught up in the chaos of the holidays, they may let go of their healthy habits and become preoccupied at work. 

The holidays are known for being a time of joy, hearty food, and family gatherings. However, anticipation and preparation of the season can lead to high levels of stress and the emergence of unhealthy habits. It’s important to recognize that heightened levels of stress can put a damper on your employees and your business. Fortunately, there are many ways you can keep your employee wellness on track this holiday season. 

The Connection Between Employee Wellness and Productivity

Employees who don’t have access to resources to help them maintain optimal mental and physical health have higher rates of presenteeism, being physically at work but mentally unable to perform at their best. Studies have shown that the costs attributed to presenteeism are 2 to 3 times higher than typical health care expenses. Employees are more likely to suffer from presenteeism during the holiday season as they are preoccupied with everything they need to do to prepare for the holidays. 

However, when employers take steps to improve workplace wellness, employees stay happier and healthier. As a result, they feel more valued in the workplace and are more eager to perform better. This holiday season, consider taking these steps to help improve your employee morale and keep productivity high. 

Show Your Appreciation

When employees feel unappreciated, they are more likely to feel unmotivated and disengaged at work. One study found that managers who express their gratitude and appreciation towards their employees have harder working and happier employees. Due to the stress employees may feel during the holidays, showing a little appreciation can go a long way. Nobody wants to feel unappreciated at work, so consider giving your employees extra praise, buying them a company lunch, or writing a personal card to each employee thanking them for their hard work. To go the extra mile, surprise your employees with a holiday bonus or extra vacation time. This year, find a way to show your employees just how much you care.

Encourage Employees to Take PTO

PTO is incredibly important for employee wellness, and many employees find that they have leftover PTO at the end of the year that needs to be used up. Many employees also have substantial workloads that make them reluctant to take advantage of vacation days and PTO. However, overworked employees are at risk of becoming unhealthy due to exhaustion, impatience, and low output. As a result, companies that care about their employees’ wellbeings encourage them to take advantage of PTO.

When you encourage PTO, you are letting your employees know that it’s okay to stay home when you are physically or mentally unwell. Making it known that you encourage vacation time, sick days, and mental health days allows your employees to take care of themselves, which, in turn, makes for better employees. When you encourage employees to utilize PTO before the holidays, you allow them to run last-minute errands or prepare for holiday festivities that they may be preoccupied with. Then, when they return to work, there is less to stress about the holidays and more time and energy can be put into their work. Communicate to your employees that it is okay to take time off during the holidays, as it will help keep them more productive and healthy.

Provide Healthy Office Snacks

Everyone knows how easy it is to over-indulge in holiday sweets, heavy meals, and drinking during the holidays. Unfortunately, unhealthy eating, even for a short period of time, can be detrimental to a person’s health, mood, and productivity. A poor diet not only means poor performance, but it can lead to fatigue, decreased mental effectiveness, low energy levels, irritability, higher stress levels, and decreased productivity. 

Depending on the size of your business, pick up some healthy snacks for the office or have them catered to the office. When employees avoid the after lunch sugar crash, they will have more energy throughout the day. It’s so easy to steer away from healthy eating during the holidays, but providing healthy office snacks is a great way to encourage nutrition in the workplace.

Participate in a Team Charity Event

Helping others is always a rewarding thing to do, and there are plenty of opportunities to help others during the holiday season. When you volunteer as a team, you can use this opportunity as a team-building exercise. Get your office together and volunteer somewhere you all feel passionate about. Volunteering together can not only boost corporate morale, but it can improve employee retention and job satisfaction. Whether you volunteer at a soup kitchen or support a needy family, you and your employees can work together to help spread holiday cheer. 

Show your employees how much you care this holiday season by using some of these tools to improve workplace wellness. You might be surprised how far little changes go!