Originally posted on Compass Consulting & Solutions – Paul Nottingham
The leaves have turned all shades of red and Gold and as we dig into the 
seasonal chore, we are probably listening to some sort of Holiday music. And while some love this time of year for others it can mean a time of serious stress that can lead to workplace frustration and even angry outbursts.
I know, I know, say it ain’t so!! How can folks be angry when the Christmas Cookies and Fudge, and not to mention the Pumpkin Spice lattes are starting to really flow?? Well it is true that these things help make the season bright, but there are a lot of other influencers that can bring the festivities down faster than Santa Falling of your Roof!!!
You see, this time of year while filled with fun, and Cheer is also filled with More Holidays than any other period of the year- and Holidays equal less time to get the same amount of work done. Couple that with Folks who take a lot of vacation time leaving your office short staffed adds to the already stressed productivity Machine that is your workforce. And let’s not forget the final push at year end to hit those almighty metrics the Accounting folks have cursed us with (apologies to the accounting staff).
Sorry to have painted such a murky dismal picture of Your office Holiday fun, but in all of this there is a way to ensure your employees understand that while it may be tough for a bit, that they are appreciated and can in turn show their colleagues they too are appreciated and “loved” so to speak.
A study by Booz & Co. and Young & Rubicam shows that while brand attributes such as exclusivity have gone down in popularity over the past few years, traits such as kindness and empathy and being friendly are up in value by 300% and 150% respectively. Customers more and more want business and organizations to be increasingly “human.”
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Now it goes without saying that our external customers love to be treated with kindness and studies show they respond to it with increased loyalty and their wallet, but your INTERNAL customers will respond favorably as well. A simple personal note to a colleague on a post-it, telling them you appreciate their efforts and help all year makes a positive impact. A boss who takes time to write a short personal note to each employee can do wonders in the Feels good attitude of the team. And by encouraging the management team to do likewise can actually see a bump in productivity.
We are all human, and respond to Genuine Kindness well. Kindness is self sustaining and if you share it with your team, they will share with each other and your customers! Happy Holidays!!!