3 Ways to Motivate Your IT Team this Holiday Season

It’s awfully easy to get distracted around the holiday season. The excitement of seeing friends and family and getting some time off work is matched equally by the stress of finding gifts, coordinating schedules, and keeping everyone in the holiday spirit. With so much to think about, performance at work often suffers. The good news is that there are simple strategies you can use to keep your IT team focused, productive, and motivated throughout the holiday season.

Flexibility

As we mentioned, the holiday season puts a lot of new demands on a person’s time. This is especially tricky for people with kids on break from school. Keeping your IT team chained to their desks Monday through Friday from nine a.m. until five p.m. only leads to more stress, resentment, and absences. The simple solution is to be a bit more flexible around the holidays. Allow your team to come in a little late, leave a little early, take a half day or a three-day weekend, and you make the holidays a lot more manageable. Even if your team is working a little less, they will work a lot harder.

Bonuses

In addition to putting a strain on time, the holidays put a strain on budgets. And when a person can’t afford to buy gifts or make travel arrangements around the holidays, it leads inevitably to anxiety, bitterness, and a generally foul mood. Make things easier on your IT team by offering end-of-the-year bonuses. These can serve as the yearly bonus, or a supplemental bonus. Either way, your team knows that they will have an influx of cash exactly when they need it most, which leads to a much happier group of employees. Tie the bonus to end-of-the-year performance, and you will be amazed at how productive your team becomes in December.

Gratitude

A big part of the holidays is letting the people close to you know how much you care. This goes for friends and family, and your IT team as well. Use the occasion to write everyone on your team a handwritten note, or offer them a small but personal gift. This simple gesture shows that you recognize and appreciate the hard work they do. And when your team feels valued, they will be willing, even excited, to go the extra mile to help achieve end-of-the-year goals.

The holiday season creates unique challenges, but unique opportunities as well. Make the most of the occasion and December could become your best month of the year. Find more resources to help you get the best out of your team by working with The Squires Group.


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