Dear HR managers and business owners,

This month's issue of People Pulse is short and sweet. After all, the holidays are here! Or are they?

The 2-3 weeks leading up to the winter holidays can be very stressful as employees scramble to complete projects before the end of the year. By knowing the specific stresses of your employees' lives and the challenges the holidays may create, you can bring the spirit of the season to the office.

Here are some great ideas to alleviate holiday stress for your employees:

• Get your work done, but build in down time. The number one cause of holiday stress is time stress. More than any time of the year, it is important to set clear work goals during the holiday season and to avoid unanticipated projects whenever possible.
• Survey your employees to find out what the most stressful part of the holiday season is for them. Based on the response, try to address it as directly and helpfully as possible. For example, some employees find traditional office parties to be more stressful than festive (especially if they are organizing them!). Others may wish to alter their work hours to accommodate evening shopping. A little flexibility goes a long way.
• Be flexible with time off. People with small children or those who celebrate winter holidays other than Christmas may need to take time other than the traditional days of Christmas and Christmas Eve.
• Provide an online shopping hour during the day or lunch break or designate one hour free for people to conduct their gift shopping.
• Create some voluntary group activities. Allowing your employees to take some time off during work hours to go window shopping, write cards to family or take in a movie can boost the holiday spirit without taxing your expense account.
• Help people stick to their routines. Disrupting daily routines is another major cause of holiday stress. Giving your employees a little more free time during the holidays can help them be better focused and productive.

The season of giving is also the season of caring - it's true in your home, your community and in your office. The next few weeks can set the pace for your year to come.

On behalf of the entire team at People First Solutions, we wish you all the best this holiday season, and look forward to a prosperous 2005.

Cheers,


Bob Murray
Partner, People First Solutions

Telephone: 604.684.2288
Facsimile: 604.684.2265
info@peoplefirstsolutions.com

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