The holidays are supposed to bring joy and togetherness, but for many employees, it’s simply added pressure. From trying to complete month-end reports before Thanksgiving to managing added homeowner stress, the shortened November and December months can put any employee into burnout mode fast. Plus, let’s not forget that everyone is dealing with their own personal family and financial obligations on top of the extra pressure at work. It’s something you as a leader need to be prepared for, too, as 66% of employees report additional stress during the holiday season.

When leading an association management company, it’s important to recognize when members of your team experience stress and burnout and to be proactive in creating a positive work environment. Here are five ways you can easily boost morale in the holiday season:

• Prioritize now.

There are about three working weeks in November and two in December – that can make regular day-to-day management feel impossible. Meet with your team to discuss the top priorities for the next two months and collaborate on pending deadlines that may be creating additional stress. Work one-on-one with your managers to ensure they are able to meet their deadlines and offer your support where needed.

• Give back together.

By now, you’ve likely scheduled community activities within your associations that give back to those in need. This is especially important in the holiday season, when everyday financial pressures surmount to overwhelming guilt. Generous community giving and social responsibility programs are known to drive employee engagement (and in turn, retention.) Taking time as a team to bring gifts to a local children’s hospital or sponsor a family for holiday presents are great ways to give back while alleviating stress.

• Enforce sick day policies.

This may seem like an obvious suggestion, but a surprising number of employees will continue to report to work despite a desperate need to stay in bed. As colder weather leads to an influx of new colds – on top of the pandemic – it’s important to ensure that employees are taking the time off they need in the event they get ill. Remind your employees that if they burn out physically over the holidays, they’ll surely burn out mentally and emotionally.

• Let technology do the work for you.

Some of the best ways to alleviate stress come from technology. From web portals and apps that promote self-service for homeowners to project management solutions like CINC’s Management Module, there are plenty of tools that can help employees stay on top of their priorities while relieving them from tedious tasks. Take time now to communicate with your homeowners the self-service tools they have on hand to make payments, manage work orders, and more – that way they’ll have a friendly reminder of what’s available to them before they reach out to your management team. Take time to review with your teams their tools as well, and ensure they know how to utilize your technology to the best of their capability. Who knows – you may find a noticeable gap that requires training for the new year.

• Invest in new technology.

Finally, if you realize that your software solution is causing more harm than good for your employees, reconsider what you plan to use for the 2022 year. Perhaps it will be impossible for your accounting team to complete month-end reports before Thanksgiving, or perhaps your homeowners don’t have a mobile app that gives them the ability to quickly make a payment. Changing software systems may seem daunting, but remember: if you’re not giving your employees a toolkit that empowers them, another company will.

We hope that these quick tips will help you keep your company in a festive mood this holiday season. For more tips on how to build employee morale for the entire year, check out how Priestley Management Company keeps employees engaged in their company mission and vision.