This holiday, give your employees the gift of guiltless time off

The perfect gift?

It’s always difficult to know what to get your employees for the holidays. It can be tricky to navigate gift etiquette with so many parameters to consider. There are a variety of festivals celebrated during the holiday season, each with their own traditions surrounding gift-giving. Some people don’t partake in any typical holiday celebrations, but extra kindness and consideration from employers are still welcome.

Simple offerings can make a huge impact

I’m not an employer, just a freelancer who works for multiple clients. Based on my own observations of my family, I’d like to offer a suggestion about what to do for your employees.

One of the nicest things one of my clients did for me last year was to extend the holiday deadlines. I have regular assignments that are typically due on Friday, but the account manager let us know that nothing would be due until Monday. Although this might sound reasonable, another client didn’t change deadlines at all. A little less stress about my deadlines was a great gift.

I watched my family deal with their jobs

One daughter works at a large corporation in Dallas. She had planned to take Monday off, then work the following days before having Christmas Eve and Day off. Her supervisor was concerned that she hadn’t taken much time off during the holiday season and ended up encouraging her to take off more days and work from home.

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My youngest daughter and her husband work at a restaurant in the Grand Lake area. They shut down for the holiday to give their staff time off even though it would have been easy for them to stay open. There aren’t many places to eat out in the area, especially when you want a fancier dinner like you might on Christmas Eve.

Consideration is a gift in itself

It wasn’t the time off that is so important, although that’s part of it. I think what’s more important is that the employers didn’t gripe and complain about giving them the time off. I’ve worked for employers who were like that, so I understand the difference. I had one boss for a time who rarely let employees leave early for holidays and made us work the day after Thanksgiving and the Saturday after New Year’s Day. One employer I know makes employees feel bad when they need to take a sick day even if they had them.

Guilt-free breaks

The gift is allowing families to be together without being made to feel guilty about it. Don’t underestimate good will any time of the year. Make sure your staff can take a break without giving them grief about it. Believe me, they’ll come back regenerated and more productive.

#timeoff

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