Festive Season Break
By their very nature Project Managers are high achievers with equally high expectations of those they work with. Generally speaking, and if you’re doing your job properly when recruiting staff, those staff who do work for you will be on the same wavelength as you and be equally hard working. However, just because you only intend to take few hours off for Christmas day itself – is it really fair to expect the same of all your staff?
The best secret Santa present.
You’re hopefully not the sort of Project Manager who thinks “bah humbug” about Christmas and will have taken the time to organize some sort of team get together before the festive holiday, if not a proper Christmas meal for everyone. Organizing secret Santas is a great way to help your team bond together as well, even if some folk are left looking a little puzzled at what they receive. However, whilst secret Santas are really only to give presents from one individual to another – you could give a secret Santa present to everyone, that is bound to receive universal approval. That is, of course, some meaningful time off from the project over Christmas. Of course your project can’t grind to a halt ****and it may be, especially for some transport or construction jobs, that making progress when a lot of other places are on vacation and quieter can be important. But, do take the time to find out if anyone has a young family, if so be particularly generous with them and the time you give them off. Younger workers or perhaps those without a family might not be so concerned about time off at Christmas – but might instead appreciate an extra day or two at New Years. All of which will help to motivate your staff to work as hard as ever for you.
Can you use a skeleton staff?
Remember, everyone likes a break, especially at this time of year. You don’t need to close down the project for a whole week but, with Christmas day falling on a Sunday this year - why not see if you can arrange for just a skeleton staff to be in on the Monday and Tuesday. Similarly, as New Years day is the Sunday too, try and do the same for the first Monday/Tuesday of 2012. Finally here, if you really want to prove you’re not a reincarnation of Scrooge this year – why not arrange it so everyone can get off home early on Christmas Eve too.