Don’t let the holiday season stress you out; instead, get organized and sail through.
There are a few preemptive management steps you can take to maximize efficiency and minimize friction, here are a few easy-to-implement tips:
- Give all employees their printed schedules early so there are no last-minute requests for a Saturday off to go Christmas shopping. (Ideally, you’d accomplish this task before Thanksgiving.)
- Additionally, load up on bottled water, because keeping your team well hydrated as they are running to and fro makes a difference.
- On that same topic, give your team advanced notice that you will buy staff lunch during “crunch week,” Dec. 19 to 24. Consider this money well spent, as it keeps workers in the store, well fed and motivated. Additionally, free food is a morale booster; employees definitely appreciate gestures like this.
- This is a great time to start offering monetary incentives. Consider paying a few dollars for every arrangement sold that’s $20 more than your average sale. I can tell you from experience that money motivates, and this program is literally self-funding: Employees will generate more revenue, which you’re simply sharing with them!
Tim Huckabee is the founder of FloralStrategies and a contributing writer to Floral Management magazine.