The holidays are here and some stress can come with them. Sure, it's self-induced stress, as we do a lot to make other people happy...buying gifts, throwing parties, meeting for dinner, traveling, whatever. You need to realize that regardless of whether you like this season or not ("paging Mr Scrooge..."), your Creatives have other things on their minds right now. So cut 'em a little slack.
Consider giving your Creatives a little extra time off at this time of year. Give them a chance to buy some gifts, pick out a tree, decorate the house, or go grocery shopping. Ask yourself if there's really any reason people need to be working on Christmas Eve. Or December 31st? This isn't to suggest simply shutting down your firm, but merely giving people a little extra personal time if it doesn't lead to some critical failure on your company's part.
If you think about it, a lot of time spent at work right now might not actually be spent working. So how about making a deal with your Creatives: you'll let them take some extra personal time, and in return, when they're at work they're really working. No more shopping online, no more addressing Christmas cards or working on their holiday newsletter, but doing the job you pay them to do. Sound fair?
You'll often find that if you give people a little extra leeway when they need it, they'll put in some extra effort the rest of the time. They tend to be motivated to work for you if they know you appreciate what they do the other 11 months of the year, and by giving them some freedom now when they can use it, you also let them know you trust their judgement and professionalism.
Or, you could decide to just to stick with the regular workload and expect people to do their own stuff on their own time. But beware...you're likely to be visited by three ghosts...
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