‘Twas the week before the Christmas holidays.

You’re counting down to the end of each day, walking to the water cooler every hour (even if your cup is full) and ducking out of the office for coffee breaks, smoko breaks, bathroom breaks, fresh air breaks…

How can you possibly be expected to stay motivated at work when it’s the season to spend time with family?

Whether you’re counting down to Christmas, Hanukkah or a well-deserved break, here are some tips to try and stay focused when you’ve done your Dasher (see what I did there) for the year.

Joy to the Workplace 

Whether you are a manager or colleague, now is the perfect time to take a step back and look at how far you all have come as a company, as a team and as an individual.

Recognise and acknowledge all the goals you have accomplished and challenges you have overcome throughout the year. You can do this in the form of a “Thank You” or congratulatory email, a team lunch or even an End-of-Year Presentation, to end the year on a high.

Reflecting on successes and change over the past year will bring on the nostalgia and gratitude, motivating everyone to finish the year strong. There’s nothing like that last minute rush of adrenalin to tick off anything which may be on your procrastination list and feel some closure before you sign out for the New Year.

Channel your inner Christmas spirit animal

Be the reindeer.

Spread some holiday joy and bring the anticipation of the season to your office. Within cultural sensitivity to your diverse workplace, you can:

• Decorate an office Christmas tree
• Arrange a company Secret Santa/Kris Kringle to exchange small gifts between colleagues
• Take a short break for a desk decorating competition (because you can never have enough tinsel and candy canes)
• Book an ‘End of Year’ lunch
• Play Dreidel
• Send seasonal hampers
• Send “Thank You” cards

With everyone looking forward to having a break, there are many ways you can bring the excitement of the holidays to your office so that the goals you are working towards together as a company shifts, but remains united.

Don’t be the Grinch.

ZACK Group’s Christmas Tree 2017 – Click here to see more 

Make your list, check it twice

It’s time to look at your workload and make a list of tasks you need to complete before the New Year.

Prioritising your tasks can help you tick off the large or important things you need to do first and also allow you to wind down over the next week with the less pressing jobs, which can be done in between your coffee breaks and conversations with colleagues.

Daily lists help you to stay focused and help you and your colleagues feel accomplished when the atmosphere in the office can be distracting.

(Not so) Silent Night 

The holiday season is all about spending time with your loved ones, so why not make the effort to attend social events and Christmas parties to spend time socially with your clients and colleagues as well?

We often forget that behind our job titles and day to day jobs, we are all people who have personal lives and personal goals. End of Year networking opportunities allow us to remove the masks and get to know the people you know professionally on a deeper level.

This results in stronger business relationships and no-obligation, genuine conversations, which can open the doors for a great start to the New Year.

Wrap it up 

Not just your gifts.

Managers & Directors – An End of Year speech or appreciation email can go a long way in acknowledging all the hard work and effort your employees have put in over the past 12 months, as well as keeping them informed of any promotions, goals for the New Year or changes to be expected.

Employees – Plan for next year. Coming back to your desk after the holiday break with a list of goals you would like to achieve in 2018 can give you a headstart in resetting for the year and getting back into the swing of things, full-steam ahead.

ZACK Group’s Christmas Party 2017 – Click here to see more 

ZACK Group are on holidays from Monday 25th December & return to the office on Monday 8th January 2018. We are still contactable through email & phone – connect with your ZACK Group consultant via LinkedIn and click here in order to stay in touch.

ZACK Group would like to wish all our clients, candidates and suppliers a Happy Holiday Season and safe, successful New Year 2018!