The festive season distracts just about everyone. You will find it no different in your insurance agency. Your employees may become more stressed while struggling to focus on work-related tasks. However, all is not lost. With the following out-of-the-box approaches, you can boost team morale and encourage teamwork during the most wonderful time of the year.
The Importance of Motivation in the Workplace
Before we get to how you can motivate your team, it is essential to understand the importance of motivation in the workplace. During the holiday season, your employees have more on their minds than just work. They may be juggling personal commitments and holiday-related challenges, making it difficult to stay focused. Add work stress to this, and you have a potentially volatile situation. You can diffuse challenges like these by prioritizing motivation and giving your team the support they need most during the holidays.
Motivation Does Not Always Come Easy
Tight deadlines and client emergencies tend to tag along when the holidays roll around. You may have noticed more absenteeism as your employees try to balance family commitments and work. It may have a roll-over effect on the remaining employees as their workload increases. This alone often makes motivation hard to implement and achieve.
You should prepare for any eventuality during the festive season to avoid unnecessary complications. Implement schedules so you always have a full team in the office while allowing everyone the same amount of time off. You must also continue to support your staff as they try to get things done before the year ends.
Creative Ways to Boost Motivation
Even though work seems to double during the holiday season, there should always be time to have a little fun. Use creative incentives to inject a little holiday spirit and new energy into your agency.
For example, you could organize a themed desk decorating contest. Such a contest will allow your employees to take a well-deserved break and participate in the festivities of the holidays by decorating their desks. You could also arrange a Secret Santa gift exchange a week or two before closing the office for the holidays. If you have employees working off-site, you can host a virtual Secret Santa to include them in the fun.
You can also use other activities to boost morale and motivation, such as holiday-themed projects, trivia competitions, or a unique team building exercise.
Meaningful Team Building Activities
Team building exercises help employees work together and can even boost productivity. There are plenty of meaningful team-building activities to choose from. These include a holiday-themed scavenger hunt, holiday movie night, gingerbread house decorating competition, or a festive bake-off.
The more festive and creative the activity, the better. The only requirement is that your employees must work as a team.
Rewarding Team Efforts
Your team works hard throughout the year, so if you want to continue to motivate them to perform at their best level, you must recognize and reward their efforts. While bonuses and incentives are welcome forms of recognition in the workplace, you should also consider incorporating personalized gestures. For example, you could create a so-called Wall of Gratitude where you and other managers or supervisors write notes of appreciation for each employee.
Another approach is giving each employee a personalized holiday gift or experience tailored to their interests. These could include gift cards, holiday concert tickets, or a paid day off to spend with loved ones. Also, consider hosting an on-site end-of-year award ceremony to acknowledge and reward outstanding accomplishments.
Be Open to Remote Work Options
You do not have to like it, but remote work is here to stay. If you want to motivate your staff, be open to them working from home a few days a week during the holiday season. Doing this will allow them to spend more time with their families while completing urgent work. Micromanaging is not the solution to ending the year in your agency. Instead, give your employees the chance to prove they can be productive away from the office.
This approach goes hand-in-hand with balancing work and self-care. You can support your team by promoting the importance of setting boundaries, asking for help, and prioritizing self-care. When you provide flexibility as an option in the workplace, you demonstrate your commitment to your employees’ overall well-being. Doing this will contribute to motivation, resilience, and overall job satisfaction.
Giving Back to The Community
If your agency is big on giving back to the community, allow your employees to make a difference in their way. Encourage volunteerism at local charities and nonprofits. This will help your teams strengthen their bonds and create the sense that their efforts are meaningful beyond the office walls. You could even arrange a fundraiser to show your agency’s commitment to social responsibility.
Sustaining Motivation Beyond the Holidays
The initiatives and activities you implement during the holidays can also be the foundation for ongoing motivation and team building throughout the coming year. By continuously implementing fun, appreciation, and engagement in the workplace, your agency can create its own supportive culture that extends far behind the festive season.
Start building a team today that thrives on- and off-site during and after the holidays.