Christmas can cause a lot of stress and anxiety.
Christmas might well be the happiest time of year for you, but that may not be the case for your team.
It can be a period of stress and heightened anxiety for the shier, more introverted team members, especially with the increased demand for socialising. The support of the well-being and mental health of all remote employees should be a top priority for employers, especially over Christmas when employee mental health can be the most vulnerable.
With 42% of UK workers worried about socialising over the Christmas period, according to research by Lime Global, it is probably a bigger issue than you think.
The knock-on effect of this could lead to a team who are:
- Less productive
- Lacking morale
- Unmotivated
All this means the performance of your team could be worse over the Christmas period.
In this post, we are going to show some of the ways in which you can help to support your remote employees wellbeing, over the Christmas period.
How The Christmas Period Can Impact Employee Wellbeing.
No two employees are the same, and how Christmas affects them will depend on individual circumstances. But some of the ways employees are affected are:
- Absenteeism
(the pattern of skipping or missing work without reason)
According to The Mental Health Foundation, 12.5% of UK absences are due to mental health conditions, and this can be heightened over the Christmas period.
- Financial worries
An article by The Northern Echo revealed there is a growing concern among families in regard to the cost of the festive season, specifically with the rise in energy costs. The worry of being able to afford Christmas will likely cause employees to become anxious and distracted with their work.
- Family and Relationships
Employees who may have separated this year or lost a family member could also struggle this Christmas to get into the festive spirit.
- Increased workload
End-of-year reports and new-year strategies are just some of the tasks employees will have to account for, and this can be overwhelming, resulting in an increasingly stressful Christmas.
- SADs
Seasonal Affective Disorder affects around 12 million people in the UK. When the clocks go forward and the nights get darker, anxiety can be heightened, and depressive episodes become more frequent.
What to look out for
Unusual behaviour can be a key indicator of an employee who is struggling with work over Christmas. Unusual behaviours include
- Slow response time
- Delinquency
- Working late
- And mood changes
These behaviours can be difficult to spot, and with many teams working remotely at least some of the time, the challenge is exacerbated. Furthermore, a snapshot of behaviours won’t tell the story – but changes over time can tell you a lot about how happy and comfortable someone is at work. For example, Analytics 365 can show you which team members have been working out of hours more, or the overall sentiment of key team members. This can give you a starting point so you know who needs additional support.
1-2-1s are also a useful tool to help employers keep track of their remote employees well-being, even more so over the Christmas period.
Your 1-2-1s are a good time to ask your employees questions such as,
- How are feeling about the Christmas period and work?
- Are you managing the current workload?
- Is there anything I can do to offer more support?
If an employee is not open to talking about their well-being, simply offering some reassurance of the support and tools available can make a huge difference.
Any behaviour from an employee which you believe is negatively affecting other employees, such as aggression and mood swings, should be reported to HR along with an action plan to help.
Ways To Support Your Remote Employees over Christmas
Offer more flexibility
Finding balance (both work and non-work related) over the festive period can be really stressful.
So much so, 34% of employees in a survey by Sodexo said Christmas caused them to be more stressed, with a further 16% saying they would rather have flexible working conditions or early finishes than a Christmas bonus.
A little flexibility for your team can make all the difference. Here are some quick and easy things you can do as a manager:
- Early Friday finishes
- Increased breaks and longer lunch breaks
- Flexible start and finish times
Provide tools and resources for support
If you already know a lot of your team will struggle with their wellbeing over Christmas, then ensuring more support is available should be a priority.
Without support, employees can feel abandoned and left to fend for themselves, which shows bad management.
Extra support over Christmas can include things such as:
- Open door policies with management via online calls
- Wellness packages
- Access to mental health support charities and organisations.
Lower expectations
Increasing workloads and looming deadlines can impact the work/life balance of employees.
According to an article by Business Leader, 73% of employees described themselves as being at breaking point in the run-up to Christmas. This is clearly a growing issue and is one not to be ignored.
Lowering expectations can help to reduce burnout and increase productivity.
Show your appreciation
As well as 1-1s, you can show your appreciation towards your remote employees through small acts of recognition. By showing your appreciation, employee morale is improved, which can sometimes be the motivation they need to get them through a difficult period.
You can show your appreciation by offering your employees rewards such as
- Gift cards,
- Sweet treats
- Financial bonuses
- Letters of recognition
Design a ‘Return to Work’ action plan
The thought of returning to work after Christmas can be a daunting thought for your remote employees.
With an action plan, employees can feel more at ease with returning to work and be clear-minded about their work for the new year.
An example of a clear action plan should consist of:
- First-week Plan
A day-by-day plan for the first week, including back-to-work meetings and any new project inductions.
- Quick tasks
A priority list for tasks that take no longer than 30 mins but are important for the business.
- Goals for the first month
Realistic targets that you want to set for the team to complete in their first month back; this could include producing starting plan for any new projects
Laying out a clear plan for a return to work after Christmas gives remote employees the structure they need to deal with pending tasks while allowing them to settle back into work at their own pace.
Summary
With 1 in 4 people struggling with stress over Christmas, as a manager, it pays to provide that extra bit of employee support over the festive period.
The first step is spotting the warning signs,
- Unusual behaviour
- Absenteeism
- Poor work quality
Once spotted, tools such as
- 1-1s calls
- Open door/call policy
- Increased flexibility
Can help to improve remote employee wellbeing and make for a more enjoyable Christmas period.
