4th Quarter Productivity: Make the season work

You and your team have been working hard all year. First quarter, second quarter, third quarter, and now rounding towards – a holiday party? Even if the holidays are your favorite time of year, it’s hard not to worry that productivity could be sidetracked by distractions during 4th quarter. So how can we get the numbers where we need them without turning into Scrooge?

Checking it twice: Start by assuring that your Human Resources department has sent out a list of your company holidays and time-off policy well ahead of time. You may want to suggest a deadline when all requests need to be in order to be considered for priority.

All is calm: Have your Project Management team conduct more resource planning check-ins and detailed time-off calendars to assure your planned work is covered. Since distractions and time-offs during this time of year are a given, build some extra time into each project. Be sure to include any of your holiday parties into the work schedule, too.

Shake the tree: Your Sales team should follow up with prospects one more time to see if any year-end sales can be added. A sales challenge with a respectable prize can be tied in with your holiday theme. Don’t forget that some clients may have annual budgets to use or lose. Propose concepts that bring some last minute value and lead to more work in the new year.

Setting a jovial tone during the holidays can motivate your team to face year-end challenges with determination. Accept that some decline in productivity is a reality at many companies this time of year. Showing your teams gratitude, tolerance, and flexibility in the face of holiday time-off requests can make the hours they are at work as productive as ever. And proving that you are there to hold down the fort no matter what is a great way to remind your team that we still have a job to do.