Workforce scheduling involves planning and managing employees’ work shifts to ensure coverage and efficiency. During the holidays, the stakes are higher due to: 

In most countries, where Christmas is a widely recognised holiday, workers enjoy either paid or unpaid leave during the festive season. However, differences in labor laws, religious observances, and calendar systems influence how this is implemented.

Regions like North America and Europe designate December 25th as a statutory holiday, often with additional days off. The structure of holiday leave varies, with some employers offering extended breaks to align with seasonal celebrations or year-end closures. 

In the past, maternity leave was the primary focus, while paternity leave was often limited or non-existent. However, in the 2020s, more countries are expanding policies to ensure fathers can take time off to be with newborns.

For example, in 2022, Japan introduced a new act granting fathers the right to take up to four weeks of paid paternity leave following the birth of their child.  Since this act the Percentage new fathers taking paternity leave increased from has doubled according to Statista.

While also in 2020, the UAE became the first Arab country to offer paternity leave to private sector employees. This made fathers entitled to five working days of parental leave, to be taken within the first six months of their child’s birth. 

Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand, use, and manage your own emotions in healthy ways, recognise and understand the emotions of others, and use this knowledge to navigate relationships and interactions effectively. It includes 5 key skills: 

Firstly, absorbing the meaning of “wellbeing” is crucial.

The whole mental, physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing of your staff is referred to as “employee wellbeing.”

Wellbeing includes happiness, job satisfaction, integration, engagement, sense of belonging and work-life balance. But the order of priority may vary from company to company or employee to employee. This is why it is important to understand what is most important to your employees. But how?

To better understand your employees and what motivates them, you can start by conducting a survey and asking what would support them over the Christmas period.  Some will tell you that they would like more time off to enjoy their family, others prefer a few days of remote working or a special bonus. Knowing this, you can tailor your measures to the priority needs.

It is entirely beneficial for your company to encourage the expression and communication of needs. This helps to reduce the frustration of your teams and increases the commitment of your employees. And we all know that motivated and happy employees are always more productive. Supporting employee wellbeing during the holiday season is therefore the smartest move for your business. 

A remote working team also deserves a Christmas party!  

Virtual Christmas parties are not only a great way to virtually celebrate Christmas, but they are also perfect for team building. 

To make it fun, you can ask your employees to decorate their office or put a Christmas filter on Teams. You can wear a Christmas hat, and all bring a hot chocolate.   

But the best thing to do is to organise games such as a quiz. Form teams, give them a name, a color and start the game! You can even get your staff involved by asking them to add their own question to the quiz.  

If your team is multicultural, this activity is the perfect opportunity for everyone to share Christmas and New Year traditions. In Spain, for example, on New Year’s Eve, it is customary to eat a grape for every stroke of midnight. Did you know that? 

Don’t forget the rewards, a box of chocolates for the winning team or an online gift card!