As Christmas approaches, you may be wondering how to motivate your staff. It could be peak season; it’s undoubtedly cold and grizzly, and those motivating New Year’s resolutions are some time off. So, here are the nine hacks you need to wrap up the year on a positive, productive note.
1. Give dopamine-inducing unpredictable rewards
Did you know enjoyable things—such as our favourite food or time with our loved ones—secrete high dopamine levels?
Interestingly, some research shows that to secrete more dopamine, we don’t need steady treats but unpredicted rewards.
That’s great news for busy managers, and it doesn’t mean big showy gifts. Instead, you can get super creative.
Consider:
Personalised thank-yous from the MD
Peer-to-peer recognition
A coffee gift card just because
A surprise guest or visitor to the office
Everyone’s parking paid for the day
Tinsel crown on arrival
Stats showing how their contributions have made a difference over the past year
Suprise early finish
Canteen treats
2. Offer flexible working
Flexibility is a great motivator any time: but especially during the holiday season. Allowing employees to work from home or offering flexible hours allows them to manage work and holiday commitments with family and friends. They could flex their hours, bank overtime or buy back holiday.
Think broadly. This helps reduce stress, builds trust, and shows that you understand their needs.
3. Host a meaningful celebration or two…
For some, the typical office party is a begrudged event on the calendar. Other loves it. Your teams should be asked what they like, but more motivating approach could be to consider organising an array of events that align with your team's interests. In short- what do they tend to do when they aren’t at work? Whether it’s a small team lunch because you’ve seen them head to a local pub, a fun game session because they are hyper-competitive, or even a charity day where the team volunteers together, you can offer many different types of events over the festive season.
4. Provide professional development
Offering opportunities for new courses, giving out best-selling business books, or sharing new plans for additional learning budgets can show that you’re invested in personal growth. Christmas is a great time to do this.
But if your budget isn’t that big, share your enthusiasm for their development and get them thinking positively about the year gone by.
Have you sat down 1-2-1 and asked employees to reflect on the year? What have they learned this year? This isn’t just a plain old review that’s about box-ticking. It’s getting them into gratitude, which can significantly impact motivation.
Ask them to reflect on the positive aspects of their jobs, what they enjoy, what they’ve overcome, and how that’s helping them (perhaps saving time or helping them make more connections).
By focusing on what they are grateful for, employees can shift a mindset from scarcity and stress to abundance, boosting motivation.
5. Recognise and celebrate achievements
While employees can reflect and motivate themselves, managers must also take responsibility for recognising both individual and team achievements.
Acknowledging hard work can boost morale, whether through an end-of-year award ceremony, a special mention in a team meeting, a gift, an email, or grabbing someone by a water cooler.
People are more motivated when they feel their efforts are seen and appreciated.
6. Show them the ‘why’ of the goals
December can feel rushed, and goals can feel unnecessarily hard. Understanding the underlying reasons and motivations behind these goals is crucial for sustaining long-term motivation for the season.
How can you bring what you do to life? You could try:
Sharing customer feedback
Storytelling: Sharing success stories or how your service stands out
Showing why the small tasks matter
Telling a teamwork story that can inspire or motivate
Bringing in a motivational speaker
Sharing a great TED Talk
Creating a vision for the last day of work and what will have been achieved
Promising what they get if targets are exceeded.
Setting the stage like this lets you continue to set goals for your team to achieve before the year-end.
7. Boost break time
An element of variety will secrete more dopamine, and a great way to motivate is in team breaks.
While keeping the business running is essential, ensuring that your team takes their well-earned time off is crucial for long-term motivation.
You can make this a dopamine powerhouse by adding in extra treats.
Puppy yoga or other training sessions run by third parties
Free treats
Surprise food delivery
No device/desk lunch breaks
Crafting sessions
Movie room
Massage/nail treatments
Double lunch hour downtime
Gift card surprise
Christmas food treat afternoon
8. Get personal with rewards
When we stimulate the brain's reward system, we naturally stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system (responsible for rest and digestion), which is crucial for creativity, empathy, and brain plasticity.
Not everyone is motivated by the same things, so when offering incentives or rewards, try to tailor them to individual preferences.
Some might appreciate extra time off, while others may value a small gift or a voucher to their favourite store.
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9. Lead by example
As a leader, your attitude and behaviour set the tone for the entire team. If you are dragging yourself through December, that attitude will spread.
Muster enthusiasm and a positive outlook and maintain a supportive, flexible, and upbeat approach.
Wrap up Christmas with ease!
We hope you can implement some of these ideas to keep staff motivated, engaged, and ready to tackle the challenges of the holiday season with a positive mindset.
Lifestyle Gift Cards are the most inclusive incentive & reward solution on the market. Thank your team for their hard work with 300+ of the UK’s biggest and best brands.
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