Beat the end-of-year syndrome

I would suggest the following top tips for keeping employees' spirits and their performance up - not only during the pre-holiday period but all year round:

• Paint the big picture: Explain to your staff how their accomplishments contribute to the company.
  
• Go for goals: Set goals for your employees to accomplish as a daily, weekly, or monthly challenge to encourage dedication.
  
• Rewards and recognition: People deliver powerfully when they know that their performance is accurately measured, properly recognised and rewarded. Through providing performance management systems and incentives for work done well, employees are able to see that their behaviour has a direct bearing on their personal outcomes. Not only does this create a positive work environment where they feel acknowledged and rewarded for their efforts, it also motivates them to be more productive, demonstrate positive on-the-job behaviour and deliver beyond the demands of their role. Bear in mind that rewards don't necessarily have to mean money. High-performing employees can be rewarded with career advancement opportunities, a positive employment record and public praise.
  
• Care and coaching: Give underperforming staff special care and encourage them to improve and develop themselves. You could also provide them with training opportunities, which not only helps them to meet their potential, but also benefits your business.
  
• Keep the lines of communication open: By personally communicating with employees and actively involving them in the day-to-day decision-making processes of the company, they feel that they are valued and listened to, which contributes to increased production and fosters a desire to see the organisation succeed.
  
• Offer work options: Relook your staffing model. Internationally, both businesses and employees are benefitting from flexible staffing arrangements. By matching staffing levels with business activity levels, companies can respond effectively to the changing dynamics of their industry, their customers' needs and the economy. At the same time, employees are given the opportunity to work in a number of different environments, broaden their work experience and establish a diverse skills base.

By making some minor tweaks to your business you can bring out the best in people, which means happier, more productive employees and, thus, a more successful company.