As a manager, it’s important to create a flexible work schedule during the holidays for your employees. However, it can be extremely difficult to maintain productivity while also accommodating time-off requests of your team.

And while work tends to slow during this time, it doesn’t have to mean a complete pause on projects. Creating a flexible working environment can be a solution that benefits employees as well as the company. In this article, we’ll share a few strategies to ensure that work-life balance is maintained throughout the holiday season.

How to Create a Flexible Work Schedule During the Holidays

Listen to Your Employees

Understanding what your team needs during the holidays is crucial before creating a flexible work environment. Are people planning to take scheduled time off? Will your members of your team be traveling to visit family? What other personal commitments do your employees have?

Knowing these answers ahead of time can help you plan a schedule that works for everyone. Send out a survey or ask people 1-on-1 about their holiday plans. This way, you can determine who needs time off and if a flexible work schedule is something viable. 

Be Clear About Company Priorities

Although you want to create a flexible work schedule during the holidays, it’s still critical to enforce (and be clear about) company expectations. Even if people are working less or taking time off, everyone still needs to be aligned on priorities. Therefore, it’s your job to convey which projects and tasks are important and which others can be postponed. 

Implement Core Working Hours

Even if you offer a flexible working schedule, it’s still a good idea to establish core working hours. This is a time when everyone is available, whether it’s for team meetings or just for answering questions. 

We suggest implementing core working hours sometime in the mid-morning or mid-afternoon, such as 10 am to 2 pm. This gives people time in the morning and late afternoon to attend to their personal commitments. 

Be Flexible with Location

Giving your employees the opportunity to work remotely can make things easier for them during the holidays. People may be traveling for vacation or visiting family in different parts of the world. And while some may prefer taking paid time off, others may not want to take vacation days. Therefore, allowing them to work from where they are can be beneficial for them as well as the company.

If you don’t want to implement a full remote working schedule, start with just a day or two per week. This can still be useful for those employees who want to spend extra time at home or with family.

Invest in Collaborative Tools and Software

Communication is key for any strong team or company. But keeping everyone on the same page can be difficult if people are working in different places or at different hours. Misunderstandings can arise and deadlines can be missed if employees don’t have a way to stay connected to one another.

However, there are certain collaborative tools that can make managing these different schedules a lot easier. Using project management software, team messaging platforms, and shared calendars can keep everyone in sync. 

Schedule Daily Team Check-Ins

It’s a good idea to hold check-ins with your team or with individual employees every single day. Not only is this important for team communication, but it also gives you an idea of how projects are progressing. It’s also a way to identify issues or roadblocks that have come up. 

If you don’t have time to hold a full meeting, you can simply request that people provide updates in a group chat. 

Lead by Example

As a manager, it’s your responsibility to set a positive example for your employees. That means you should be following any rules you’ve enforced for everyone on your team, even when you create a flexible work schedule during the holidays.

For example, you also need to be open and communicative with your holiday plans. During check-ins, give updates on what you’re working on and any issues you’ve come across. And of course, don’t forget to be available during the hours you’ve laid out for your entire team. 

Be Flexible with Changes

Unexpected scenarios can happen at any time, especially during the holidays. This can be a scheduling nightmare since it may impact others and the work at hand. But being open and flexible may be necessary if employees need to make last-minute changes to their schedules. 

In some situations, you may need to reassign tasks or postpone deadlines. However, you should be aware of the impact it has on other members of your team (or on the project itself). You don’t want to burden others just to accommodate another employee’s situation. 

Offer Incentives

Unfortunately, client commitments, time constraints, or access to resources may make this impossible. If a schedule change is not feasible, it’s important to be transparent in explaining why to your employee. Turning down an employee request can impact their morale, especially if it impacts their holiday plans. But there may be other things you can offer to incentivize them through this difficult time. 

For example, you can give them additional paid vacation days to use at a different time. Or you can offer the same flexible working schedule sometime next year. You can also reward them with a gift or honor them in a meeting for their dedication. Regardless of what it is, a small gesture can go a long way when holiday flexibility isn’t possible.

With the end of the year approaching, companies should start thinking about how to create a flexible working schedule during the holidays. Managing their pay and scheduled leave is one thing, but offering flexible working arrangements can help with company productivity. Not only does this boost productivity at work, but it also ensures your employee’s needs are being met.