Despite being the merriest time of the year, the Christmas season does not simply pass by without a few HR holiday issues. There are a few challenges that crop out in the workplace during the holiday season every year. And unfortunately, these challenges are not always easy for Human Resource departments to deal with.
In this article, we listed down five (5) of the most common HR holiday issues in the Philippines. Read through and learn some tips on how to deal with each challenge.
1. Low Productivity
Cooler weather. Shorter days. Christmas gift shopping. Personal holiday errands. Yearly get-togethers. These are just some of the things that keep most employees busy during the holiday season.
There can be a lot of things that can distract both employees and employers away from work. In fact, 54% of employees admit that they get distracted more than a week before Christmas Day. But while everyone is excited about holiday festivities, it’s still important to keep their focus in check. Just because a drop in employee productivity is inevitable doesn’t mean it’s impossible to manage. The holiday season is a critical part of any business, especially the days leading to the end of the year.
Tip: Embrace the holiday season. It doesn’t make sense to ignore the festive atmosphere that the Christmas season brings. You can encourage your managers to do some holiday fun in their respective departments, like Kris Kringle or surprise motivational gifts. Employees get to be more focused and determined at work when they have a sense of belongingness in the organization.
2. Multiple Leave Requests
Aside from productivity issues, most managers also encounter multiple attendance issues during the holiday season.
What most employees don’t know is that, surprisingly, our Labor Code doesn’t require sick leaves, vacation leaves, and emergency leaves in our benefits. (READ: Worker’s Statutory Monetary Benefits by the Department of Labor and Employment)
This means that employers also have the right to approve or reject leave requests from employees. While most employers in the Philippines give a generous number of leaves for their employees, approval gets a little more challenging during the holiday season, especially when there are still so many tasks to be done. Sometimes, there are even instances when all employees file their leaves on the same day.
Tip: Re-align your goals and objectives with your employees. It’s important that your team is aware of the specific timelines of your projects. That way, they can set their priorities and properly adjust their schedules without leaving any of their deliverables behind. Remember: you can support employees without abandoning the business.
3. Post-Holiday Resignation
Here’s a hard truth: Most Filipinos only wait for their 13th-month pay before they tend their resignation letters. The Bonuses Report released by Jobstreet.com revealed that there’s a high propensity for employees to quit their jobs after bonuses are paid in December. The most popular month for employee resignation is the month of January.
While one might say that January is no longer part of the Christmas season, resignation remains to be one of the most challenging issues brought about by the holidays.
Tip: Build a healthy company culture. No employee would like to leave a place where he or she feels safe, valued, and secured. It’s important that employers and managers have a solid vision of the culture they want to implement. And while this doesn’t happen overnight, it certainly won’t happen if you don’t start somewhere.
4. Office Christmas Party Preparations
For a department that usually consists of two to three people only, HRs are most likely to feel stressed about planning and preparing for office festivities.
Christmas party preparations often come with challenging issues like budget constraints, unavailability of a venue, and timely execution. With Christmas happening only once a year, organizing an office Christmas party becomes an important task as employees anticipate the best event every year.
Tip: Plan early! Don’t wait for the ‘ber’ months to start before you start planning. Christmas doesn’t change its date every year. You can draft a plan and list a few options for concepts and venues as early as August. Little tasks become big when they get checked off your to-do list.
(READ: Avoid These Common Christmas Event ‘Epic Fails’)
5. Employee Gifting
Even though they don’t say it, employees expect Christmas gifts from their employers. Most employers in the Philippines regard this as a staple part of holiday celebrations. However, employee gifting is still one of the biggest HR holiday issues in the Philippines.
Christmas gifting can be a hassle, especially for those who are part of big corporations. Thinking of a valuable gift and shopping for about 200 to 500 people is a huge task. Wrapping up these gifts takes so much time. Storage and distribution can be a real problem. And if you’re thinking about giving your employees Christmas hams, then spoilage is probably one of the major challenges for you, too.
Tip: Partner with solutions providers, like Sodexo Benefits and Rewards Services, who make Christmas gifting hassle-free. Sodexo offers solutions that give your employees the freedom to choose a gift they truly want and need. You also don’t have to worry about spoilage, storage, and distribution as Gift Passes for Christmas Hams and Christmas Baskets are made available by Sodexo.
Learn more about Christmas Gifts you need here.
