Do you remember when the holidays used to be enjoyable at work? You had a few things to finish up, but otherwise, just coasted through the last few weeks of the year. Certainly, some departments had things a little busier, like if you were finalizing budgets. But it wasn’t too bad. You got to spend some time on projects you wanted to work on. And you enjoyed office parties without worrying that you had 1,000 emails come through during it.
Now, it’s not time to slow down – it’s time to speed up! Everyone is racing at a million miles an hour. There are the regular to-do’s to finish up but also extra projects coming down the pipeline. If you’re in retail or shipping, you’re probably working a ton of overtime right now. This is the time to “finish strong,” which has come to mean doing a bunch of things that got put on the backburner the last 6 months (that could honestly wait another 6 weeks to start). And if you take some time off for the holidays, have your phone handy and keep checking those emails!
Being in HR, the end of the year has always been busy for me. For a few years, I was in charge of benefits and was processing open enrollment selections for the new year. However, nothing compared to the years working employee relations. We would have the craziest situations arise! Employees would say and do things that NEVER happened any other time of the year. And it got worse from each year to the next.
I think stress is a huge part of this. We have our personal stress during the holidays – maybe overloading our calendars, or family issues, or grief. Then, we have the work stress piled on top – the workload, the deadlines, the pressure to be available 24/7. There’s so much pressure in every area of our lives to do more…and more…and more.
So, honestly, it shouldn’t surprise us too much when employees show up drunk to work. Or yell at each other. Or make performance errors. It’s too much for any of us to handle very well.
But all is not lost! Here are a few things you can do these last few weeks of the year to make work a little merrier!
Bless Yourself
We talk a lot about blessing others, but it’s also important do bless yourself. While others may contribute to your rising stress levels, the only person you can control is yourself. So, let’s start there!
- Decide how you want to remember this holiday season. Determine now how you want this to go. It’s the only way to ensure you’ll be able to look back and have the memories you want.
- Survey your commitments, and make sure there’s time for what you want to do. Take a look at all of your commitments – both work-related and personal. Looking at it overall like this helps you see the big picture of what the holidays might look like for you this year. Is this a realistic list of commitments, or are you overcommitted? Have you left enough spare time to do some things you’d like to do? If you find you have too much on your plate, see where you can make some cuts or at least push some things to January.
- Write down ALL your to-do’s. If this seems overwhelming, there might be too much on your plate. Grab some hot chocolate and take 5 minutes to write down all the to-do’s you can think of. Next, remove items that either aren’t important or aren’t feasible this year. Then, see where you can ask others for help. This will leave you with a list filled more with things you get to do than have to do.
- Avoid automatically agreeing to requests. When someone asks you to do something, really evaluate whether you should agree. There may be things that you need to agree to no matter what. But you may have more say than you realize. You can also ask if the item can wait until next year.
- Do things that get you in the Christmas spirit! Whether work is enjoyable or crazy, it won’t give you that warm Christmas feeling. That’s up to you! The more you take some time to do things that are meaningful to you, the better perspective you’ll have when it comes to everything else.
Bless Others
Making work a little merrier means helping others with their stress too. There’s something about helping others that makes us feel better too!
- Show grace. Remember that everyone has stuff they’re dealing with. Certainly, don’t let yourself be mistreated – let others know if they treat you with disrespect. But do it with kindness, reminding yourself that you may not know what all they’re dealing with this year.
- Avoid handing down last-minute projects. If you’re a leader, be kind to your team. Avoid giving them new projects or a bunch of extra work that has to be done before year-end. Instead, talk with them about their work to-do’s for these last few weeks. Help them make sure the list is reasonable, and assist where needed.
- Check in with your coworkers. During your regular office chit chat, keep an ear out for how your coworkers are doing during this season. See if there are opportunities to encourage them or help them have a merrier experience too. And if you know someone who is dealing with a loss, be extra intentional to check on them.
- Keep your candy bowl stocked! Sometimes, you just need some chocolate to help you through a crazy day! I liked to switch mine up during the holidays and put some special candies in there. Everyone loved it!
The reality is that we live in such a fast-paced, 24/7 society that it’s hard to put on the brakes. But starting with some little steps here and there can make a big difference. You may just find some new habits that can make this holiday season really enjoyable for you.
Merry Christmas!
Photo credit: By marcinmarszal / Canva
