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Stress runs pretty high in the armed services, especially
during the holidays. Constant training and the ever present
possibility of combat duty makes the added stress of the
holidays even more serious.
Very much like their civilian counterparts, US Army
commanders know the importance of stress control and make an
effort to prepare soldiers and their families for this time of
year.
Some Army commanders have a reputation for being rather hard
nosed, but all of them recognize the importance of maximizing
productivity and controlling stress that can otherwise
interfere with combat readiness.
Regardless of your own level of compassion, you understand
that good stress control cuts absenteeism, lowers the number
of accidents, improves quality control, and reduces health
care costs.
Here are fourteen things you can do to de-stress the holidays
and boost your bottom line. Even if you have a tough
reputation to uphold, like some military commanders, you can
implement these strategies through a trusted staff person.
1. Avoid announcing job changes or new responsibilities just
before employees leave for vacation. The amount of new work
they’ll get done on the before the vacation is minimal, and
they’ll have no one to talk with about their concerns while
they are away. Wait until they return to break the good news.
2. Throughout the year, make announcements about ways to
save money for vacations, and make sure your bank or credit
union helps employees budget for this large annual expense.
It’s easy to overestimate how much people know about simple
financial management.
The extra attention can also help employees with their
overall financial stability as they save more and reduce debt.
It’s tough for employees to give 100% productivity while
worrying about family money problems.
The announcements, training, and special arrangements will
also help employees recognize your interest in their welfare
— good relationship building and stress reducing
opportunities.
3. Have your front line managers and payroll clerks double
check for errors just before the holidays. Even if payroll
has an excellent record, double-checking will prevent the
inevitable stress-causing payroll error.
Dealing with bounced checks or overdrawn credit cards while
on vacation is no way to reduce stress. If payroll is
unwilling to verify records company-wide, maybe they will at
least verify you team members.
4. Consider distributing job responsibilities among other
team members during employee absences so they don’t return to
overflowing inboxes. Just imagine what it would be like to
return after your own vacation and find an empty inbox with
plenty of time to catch up with voice mail and email.
Treat this administrative workload as you would any other
component of teamwork. Let the entire team help de-stress the
holidays just as the Army teams help each other during
stressful times.
5. Provide in-house orientations on how to organize for
stress-free vacations. Don’t assume that everyone is skilled
in planning vacations.
Arrange for local travel agents and travel planners to
conduct seminars and work with employees who usually have to
do all the work themselves.
The Army’s Recreational Services branch helps GIs on several
Army posts. Consider finding a travel agent who will fill
this same role.
6. Negotiate some preplanned vacation packages for
employees. Many travel agencies have three to five-day
packages that can be customized.
Refer employees to specific travel agents who can assist with
planning and expenses. The discounts available to you as a
company and the added travel business can make points with
both employees and the travel planners.
The Army handles this through the Army-Air Force Exchange
System. They contract domestic and international tours with
civilian travel agencies. Corporations can work with agencies
that handle corporate travel or with one of the well-
established travel clubs.
7. Let everyone know the best ways to research travel
expenses on the internet – reliable discount sites,
accommodations, and destinations.
Negotiate additional discounts for company employees. This
is another great opportunity to provide a free seminar.
Invite family members to seminars on this subject. Make it a
festive occasion.
8. Allow an extra half-day or full day to prepare for
vacations – house and pet arrangements, servicing cars and
buying tires, purchasing luggage and special apparel, making
arrangements for children.
These distractions consume a good part of the last day at the
office anyway. The expense to the company is negligible
compared with the benefit to the employee — and the good will
you build for management.
Large corporations might find some middle ground to get the
benefit of giving extra time off without fracturing the
company’s finances.
9. Counsel individuals two weeks before the vacation to make
sure they get those job priorities out of the way. Check up
on this. Ask them to tell you what must be done, and then
monitor their efforts. They don’t need their last day at work
filled with stress filled deadlines.
Not all Army leaders take advantage of this, but those who
have developed a caring relationship with soldiers in their
command use this technique to relieve the stress of getting
ready for vacation.
10. Plan for the return of each employee by scheduling time
to discuss individual vacations (relationship building) and to
catch them up on what transpired during their absence. Keep a
log of things you’ll tell them about so you’ll have a
meaningful discussion – something more than “everything went
as usual.”
If you work side by side with employees, this communication
can be a part of your daily conversation. Either way,
employees will be impressed with your personal interest and
the fact that you stopped to catch up on things that are
important to their families.
This type debriefing is enhanced by the Army’s vertical
management structure that limits the number of soldiers
reporting to a single leader. If you deal with a flat
management structure, with many employees reporting to a
single manager, you might designate some team leaders who can
adapt this strategy.
11. If you know the employee’s destination and have
emergency contact information, do something special like
sending their family a note to be delivered to their room, or
a postcard, flowers, or fruit basket.
This is a homerun relationship builder, family trust builder,
and stress reliever. If your budget is as limited as the
Army’s, the personal note is a very effective approach.
12. Communicate with employees when making the vacation
schedule.
Many companies used to shut down for a specified vacation
period rather than deal with the complex schedules and cross
training required to keep things running while key people are
on vacation.
Some still use this practice, but the companies who are
flexible in allowing employees to choose their vacation period
find the process much better in relieving stress and
rejuvenating employees.
The Army permits individuals to apply for personal leave
(vacation) whenever they choose, and permission is granted
based upon mission performance and scheduled events.
13. Require one to two-week vacation periods for high-stress
jobs vs. allowing one to two day segments as many prefer.
High-pressure jobs require one week to leave the job behind
and relax and the second week to rest and enjoy.
Remember, the purpose of the vacation is twofold – to benefit
individuals and to improve their productivity. Since the
company is paying for this break, it needs to be structured to
benefit both parties.
Just as in the Army, it is tempting to allow key personnel to
skip their vacation entirely when the workload is significant,
but the rewards are much greater for everyone if people are
required to adhere to the vacation schedule.
Even if you object to some of these stress-busting ideas,
you’ll want to find some way to get the value out of the
company’s investment in the paid vacations. Try these
strategies or get your own, and observe whether employees
perform better after returning from stress-free vacations.
Copyright 2010 – Dale Collie – All Rights Reserved