With Christmas imminent, businesses all around the UK have one final opportunity to show their staff how much they matter.

It’s a great time to reward the people that have given their all for you this year, and it’s also a great way to keep people engaged over the holiday period. There’s just enough time to get your workplace into festive gear – so, without further ado, here are our top five tips for looking after your staff this Winter:

1.  Let them out of the office early

Christmas is a beautiful time of year – but it’s a stressful one, too. With presents to buy, Nativities to attend, and relatives to cater for, people need all the time they can get this Christmas. Why not help them out? You can do this without impacting your company’s productivity by setting a “daily workload” and letting people leave early if they finish it in time.

2. Give them some flexitime

For the busiest staff members in your team, being able to leave a couple hours early around Christmas might not be enough… but it’s easy to accommodate their needs by giving them more control over the workhours. If they’re willing and able to come to work an hour early, why not let them leave an hour early? If they can work through their lunch hour, why not let them leave an hour early? Modern life is complicated – but offices can make it easier for people to navigate if they loosen the reigns and let people work hours that are right for them. Over Christmas, particularly, this could be a game-changer for company morale!

3. Festive fun in the office

Bring a little holiday cheer into your workplace with some optional festive activities. Examples include dress-down days, best Christmas sweater competitions, Christmas quizzes over lunchtimes, or visits from carol singers. Obviously, not all staff members will be interested – but these activities often prove popular with employees… and, if they’re invited, sometimes with their families!

4. Throw a great Christmas Party

There is no better time to cut loose than Christmas. After 12 months of hard work, your staff needs a party! You can organise a fun, festive, meal out with drinks, or an adventure day or something similar if your office prefers a less-boozy affair. Just remember: you are still responsible for your staff members’ behaviour, even if you’re not in the office… so do keep an eye out to make sure everything stays harmless fun.

5. Make some space for volunteering

When we think about Christmas, a few images loom large: presents, mulled wine, kids having fun. But there is a deeper element to the festive period: goodwill to all. Help your workers rediscover the simple pleasure of helping those less fortunate than themselves this Christmas by making space in your calendar for volunteer days. These can be days where, instead of coming to work, people can opt to spend a day at homeless shelters or charities spreading the Christmas spirit to those who need it most of all.

If you’re looking for ways to improve your workers lives all year round, rather than just at Christmas, feel free to browse our products and drop us a line on our contact page. And until next year: Merry Christmas!