​Our forums on Employee Wellbeing revealed the many challenges faced by both managers and employees with regard to workplace stress. In the article below, WorkPro shares some tips on how to effectively deal with workplace stress during the time leading up to Christmas.

Christmas is just around the corner, and already businesses across the country are preparing to deal with the rush of shoppers that will inevitably flood the stores.

According to Roy Morgan’s annual Christmas retail sales forecasts conducted in conjunction with the Australian Retailers Association (ARA), Australians will spend nearly $51.5 billion across retail stores during the Christmas trading period from November 9-December 24 (46 days).

Of course, your employees will be the ones largely bearing the brunt of the holiday rush. What can you do to help your staff better cope in these busy times?

1. Ensure they know how to manage their stress

Stress is an all too common by-product of the modern business world, with Safe Work Australia finding that it costs Australian companies more than $10 billion every single year. What’s more, this mental pressure can be further compounded when employees are faced with the big crowds typically associated with Christmas shopping.

You can help minimise the risks by ensuring that your staff are aware of how they can reduce stress in the workplace to better cope with the demands of the job.

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2. Maintain employee morale

In times of chaos at work, it’s important that those at the top employ strategies to keep morale high across the workforce. This is an art itself, and there are many ways to boosting confidence amongst your staff, but Forbes contributor Cheryl Conner surmised that there are six key elements to it:

1. Be empathetic

2. Recognise and reward good performance

3. Create a fun company culture

4. Consider providing additional non-monetary benefits

5. Look internally first when promoting

6. Ensure employees understand and appreciate the company’s vision

3. Make sure you have sufficient staff

Arguably the best ways to help your employees deal with the Christmas rush is to ensure that you have enough staff on hand. Historically, getting people into temporary jobs quickly has been challenging, but thanks to web-based staff induction services, the process is now simpler than ever. Hiring sufficient workers to accommodate the busy period will help you provide better customer service while also keeping your existing employees more satisfied and stress free.