The holiday season is a time for togetherness and peace, but in the 9-to-5 workplace it is also crunch time, when businesses close out for the year and try to finish the fourth quarter with a bang.
It’s a very different kind of togetherness that isn’t always peaceful.
It is also a time when expectations of employees can run high. We’ve all had the last-minute assignment or project that simply has to be done before we close out the year. Sometimes in the fervor of the crunch season these assignments can get quite draconian, or require a Herculean effort to finish in time.
In a worst-case scenario, the employee is tasked with doing something completely outside of his or her expertise. These are the assignments that rub you the wrong way instantly, and can bring serious tension into the workplace.
But the end of the year work isn’t going to do itself, and many of us find our backs to the wall as we make the final push toward the finish line. While defying market expectations is generally seen as positive behavior for companies, defying employee expectations is anathema to engagement.
“But wait,” you say. “When we talk about employee engagement, aren’t we talking about increasing the amount of discretionary effort? Don’t we want employees to go above and beyond?”
I humbly submit that there is a world of difference between employees showing discretionary effort on their own as opposed to being forced or roped into it. Additionally, discretionary effort is meaningless if the employee is asked to do something outside of their skill set in the first place.
Put it this way: You could have a model employee who is fully engaged with your company and ready to do great work, but all it takes is one Grinchy experience during the holidays to undo all of that commitment.
We have to always take into account the employee’s entire experience at work, and it can seem callous to put the pedal to the medal during a time when things are supposedly winding down. Unrealistic expectations can quietly kill your previous year’s engagement efforts if left unchecked.
Here’s the good news – all it takes to avoid being a Grinch is being a bit savvier about how expectations are interpreted during the silly season. Here are some pointers:
What it comes down to is making sure your employees are undertaking difficult or high-pressure work out of respect as opposed to doing it out of fear – ruling with an iron fist sends completely the wrong message, and during the holiday season, its effect on morale can be catastrophic.
However, there is always a very fine line between fear and respect. Forbes recently published a quick litmus test, 3 Signs Your Leadership Style Is Too Tough, that is very helpful for gauging which side your leadership style falls on.
It’s a good read for those expecting a sharp work increase this December.
We know that most managers aren’t Grinches. Most of the time these crunch assignments come so fast that there’s little time for deliberation, and the employees get squeezed into quick turnarounds, so it’s really just unfortunate timing that the season of goodwill occurs at a time when companies most need an increase in discretionary effort.
It’s a timing problem; not a personnel one. As the work ramps up this holiday season, don’t forget to ramp up your engagement efforts as well, so nobody gets the wrong idea.
This was originally published on the Michael C. Fina blog.
