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| Employee Health & Wellness |
| Holiday Stress Management |
The holidays are upon us. Today while at work, Sarah will make her Christmas gift list on her office computer. Jared will send five e-cards to friends. Charmagne will surf web sites for pecan pie and turkey stuffing recipes. Meanwhile, Mark is browsing on-line shopping centers for the perfect gift for his wife. (He might decide to sneak away from work a few minutes early to shop at a local department store instead.)
According to Xylo, a provider of web-based work/life solutions, 35 percent of workers will perform holiday activities and planning at work. The added burdens of gift shopping, increased expenses, and lack of time are the top three stress factors that drive employees to use the workplace to cope.
Don’t stress out about your employees taking care of some holiday business at work. Karen Olson, director of marketing for Xylo, suggests that employers who recognize that workers’ home life and work life sometimes collide will win in the long run with higher employee commitment levels, higher productivity and longer retention rates.
Olson says, “Desktop computers and the web provide a convenient, quick way to allow workers to take care of holiday needs.” She goes so far as to suggest that employers offer onsite gift wrapping services to help relieve stress. Many companies institute flextime during the holidays, allowing employees to come in early and leave at 3 or letting them take longer lunch hours for shopping.
In the long run, making reasonable accommodations for employees’ holiday needs can relieve stress for your workers as well as yourself. Olson notes, “If employees have a balanced home and work life, they’ll be more committed and more productive at work.”
(Source: Robinson, Karyn-Siobhan “How Will Your Workers Handle Holiday Stress? HR News Online.)
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