You’re running a business that needs to be open during the winter holidays and New Year’s Eve, so some of your employees are going to have to work. Even with extra holiday pay, employees sacrifice their own family time and fun when they’re working holidays. Recognizing this with some kind of holiday bonus and a sincere thank-you makes holiday work much easier to accept. Here are some ways to reward employees for working New Year's Eve and other holidays.
Set out the Snacks
Okay, while your staff can’t ring in the New Year with alcohol if they’re on duty, that doesn’t mean you can’t bring a little holiday cheer into the office. Arrange for some special snacks and food in the coffee room that employees can nibble on while working holidays. Even something simple like ordering in pizza can make working New Year's Eve less painful.
Games and Contests
Set up some friendly competitions during holiday work that relate to your employees’ tasks. This is easy if you're in sales--whoever makes the most sales wins a holiday bonus in addition to their holiday pay. The holiday bonus need not be cash: offering a fleece hoody or sweatshirt customized with your business logo will get your employees’ competitive juices flowing, and make the work shift go faster too.
Time off in Lieu of Holiday Work
One way to reward employees working holidays is to offer them a day off at a future date. Anyone who takes part in holiday work can request an extra day off at any point during the next year (as long as they give sufficient notice). This allows employees who sacrificed their day for holiday work to arrange a long weekend, take the day off for their birthday, or simply take a day to relax as a holiday bonus.
Promotional Gifts and Holiday Bonuses
A sincere thanks for working holidays makes your staff feel appreciated. A thank-you accompanied by a gift is even better (and may make staff more willing to work the holidays next year). Examples of promotional gifts include:
Some of these gifts are, of course, more expensive than others. Consider a sliding holiday bonus scale, where employees who consistently work the holidays get the most impressive gifts. Explain how this works to your staff so they know the more they work the holidays, the better their holiday bonus gift will be.
Closing Early--Or Not Opening at All
Staying open on the holidays may not be an absolute necessity for your business. If so, can you let employees off early so they can enjoy at least part of the day? Unless you’re in the restaurant business, for instance, you may not need to be open all day on New Year's Eve.
Consider your profit margin when you look at working holidays. For many small businesses, the cost of staying open and extra holiday pay may make it profitable to not even be open at all. In which case, consider closing for the day. You won’t lose money, and your employees will appreciate the day off!