ASK GERBER: HOW DO I HELP EASE EMPLOYEE STRESS DURING BUSY SEASON?
OCTOBER 15, 2018
Nearing the end of a calendar year often correlates with “busy season” for many small businesses. This busy season in turn often results in increased stress levels for your team members.
Holiday closures, employees utilizing more vacation time, maybe even a flux in incoming product or service requests; Whatever your stress-inducer may be, making life easier for your team members can pay dividends to their dedication to your organization.
So as the business owner, how can you help?
No, we’re not suggesting taking on less projects/clients or implementing a new bonus structure. Instead, help ease that stress for your team by making their life a bit easier.
In an effort to get your wheels turning on how you can help keep your people happy in your next busy period, here are a few initiatives our team has made available to team members as we gear up for a busy time of year.
Dinner on Gerber
At Gerber we understand that busy season could very well mean putting in a few extra hours, and if that’s the case, we want to thank team members for their dedication by dinner on us!
Consider setting a specific number of additional worked hours per week or additional weekend hours quota team members must reach to qualify. If an employee works those extra hours, treat them to a warm meal.
Make it simple for your team, and your personal accounting purposes, by allowing them to purchase the meal within a budget, pay for it on their own dime upfront, then submit the expense to their manager for reimbursement.
Help at home, on Gerber
Spending extra hours in the office can allow items in your employees personal life to slip. An employee coming home late after working to a dirty kitchen or a heaping pile of dirty clothes can only add to their stress, so offer to help them out.
Set an allotted balance per team member per month they are allowed to use for concierge services to help take care of those items at home. Services that offer house cleaning, dog walking, dry cleaning, and/or laundering services are available so your team can utilize the service provider they please, if they are putting in extra hours.
Undoubtedly your service expectation for your clients is high, wouldn’t it make sense to hold that same high standard for your team members?
What stress-relieving techniques will you be deploying during your next busy season?
