Tag Archives: Holiday

Dec22

How To Organize A Remote Worker Inclusive Holiday Party

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How To Organize A Remote Worker Inclusive Holiday Party

At this point in the year, companies are extremely busy. This is when businesses feel the pressure of delivering to customers and hitting their financial targets. On top of that, employees are on a mad scramble to finish all pending reports and rushing to cap off the year. This is also the time when companies plan and execute all holiday-related activities, including parties, games, giveaways, Christmas baskets, and year-enders. 

That was pre-pandemic. Nowadays, things are a bit slower and more socially distant. Remote working teams are scattered across different locations and sometimes, different time zones, transforming how we celebrate the traditional office Christmas party. A majority of the workforce is still working from home and it’s easy to forget to include remote workers in office parties or to even organize an office party because, well, you don’t see each other face to face. However, this is the time to be inclusive of everyone and to make sure that nobody gets left out. We must not let recent circumstances get us down. Companies can still hold holiday celebrations. Here’s how you can still celebrate the holidays to include the part of your workforce who are working from home:

Personalized greetings

Take the time to send personalized notes, thank you cards, or holiday greetings. A personalized letter is more sincere and will be appreciated more than you know. Some ideas include: a framed greeting, motto, or mission vision, personal notes, or a video greeting.

Take advantage of video conferencing technology

Make sure to include remote workers in your holiday festivities. Take advantage of video conferencing platforms like Zoom, Skype, Teams, Google Meet, etc. Some platforms allow you to share music, so put on Christmas songs (hello, Mariah and Wham). Prepare games. I’ve recently hosted a Zoom trivia night with the help of Canva (for creating the questions and cue cards) and Spotify (for the “name That Tune” part). Invite everyone to wear holiday-themed headgear, Christmas costumes, Holiday Pajamas, or ugly sweaters. Aside from awarding the best in the costume, you can even have an award for the best-decorated tree or most festive background. 

Gifts

Some companies send Christmas baskets to their employees. Some send gift cards, electronic cards, event tickets, etc. that people can use for online purchases so minimize going out. Some companies even make charitable donations in the employees’ name. Tangible gifts are great, too. Remember, it’s the thought that counts. 

Peer recognition

The end of the year is the perfect time to acknowledge your team’s contributions and accomplishments. Use the opportunity to publicly recognize each other’s great work and their trellis effort in making the team a success. 

These might be trying times, but we can still uphold traditions and make it special for the entire company. With a bit of effort, we can still celebrate the holidays with each other. How do you celebrate the holidays at your company? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Dec14

How To Come Back From A Holiday Break Feeling More Productive

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How To Come Back From A Holiday Break Feeling More Productive

A few days more and it’s Christmas. It’s been an odd year but people still haven’t lost the festive holiday spirit. Just now, I saw some holiday decor up at my favorite coffee shop. Everything looks normal, right?

A Healthline survey in 2015 reports that 44% of people say that they are stressed during the holidays, with approximately 18% of those respondents reporting that they’re “very stressed.” While the holidays should be a time of joy, it can also be a time of stress. Respondents of that survey cite finances as the main reason for being stressed followed by being overscheduled. 

If you are working up until the last minute, the holidays can be even more stressful. Employees have a hard time staying productive in mid-December, because they have the holidays at the back of their mind. Working professionals tend to fall into one of these categories:

  • They completely disengage after finishing the last work-related task and start engaging in not very meaningful activities like binge-watching.
  • They keep working straight through the holidays and use work to get out of personal commitments.
  • They do the opposite and cram as many holiday activities as they can into their schedules.

The problem here is obvious. None of these categories have a healthy work-life balance in them. To be more productive, you need to have a healthy balance of work and personal time.

How To Spend Your Holidays Intentionally

  1. Set healthy holiday goals – set goals around what is important to you like how much sleep you want to get, how much exercise you want to do, etc. Stick to these goals. Remember that you’re trying to keep a healthy balance so don’t set a holiday goal to “do more work”. Instead, a healthy goal would be setting how much time will you allow yourself to work over the holidays.
  2. Create and uphold holiday traditions – Family dinner on Christmas is a good tradition to uphold. Social distancing might prevent you from organizing a sit-down dinner with the whole family, but you can do it via video conferencing apps. Exchanging Christmas gifts is another tradition to uphold that almost everyone can look forward to.
  3. Set goals for next year – take advantage of the holidays by setting goals for the year ahead. Making sure you have something to look forward to and something to work on will ensure that you keep a healthy, balanced, and productive mindset.
  4. Prioritize downtime – find a quiet place to reflect. You can also write in a journal or have a meaningful conversation about how your year went with a loved one. This helps you take stock of the year that was and helps you process everything that happened. It’s like clearing your mental inbox so that you are ready for new experiences.

What are your tips on how to come back from the holidays feeling more productive? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Dec17

How to have a happy holidays

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How to have a happy holidays

The holidays are upon us. We haven’t slowed down one bit since Halloween. First came the costume planning and candy buying. In the aftermath of all the Halloween festivities, we’ve been busy preparing for Thanksgiving, planning dinner and seating arrangements. And now, it’s almost Christmas!

Christmas time is a time for festivities. It is also the most stressful time of the year for a lot of people. It involves making travel arrangements, dinner plans, gift buying, wrapping, and giving. And then cleaning up after, to start it all again for the new year.

As you read this, Christmas is just a few days away and it’s a bit too late to change gears and switch plans now. If you haven’t planned out your holidays yet, fear not! Here’s a checklist of things you have to do starting right now.

Plan for your break:

❏ File a leave for the days when you (most definitely) know that you won’t be able to make it work. It’s a safe bet to file for 2 weeks off to enjoy the holiday festivities, especially if you’re traveling!
❏ Make travel arrangements early. The earlier you book hotels and plane tickets, the cheaper they are.
❏ If you’re traveling by car, check that it’s running smoothly, that you have enough gas, and that you have emergency supplies.

Gifts:

❏ You should have bought gifts by now, and it’s time to wrap them. If you can’t do it yourself, you can hire someone to wrap it for you. Most shops offer gift wrapping services, check your purchases if your eligible to have them wrapped for a fee or even for free!
❏ You can also hire an enterprising neighbor or babysitter to moonlight as an amateur gift wrapper. Buy some ribbons, wrappers, and tape and just pay for their time.
❏ Forgot to buy a hostess/host gift? Forgot to buy a gift for a friend? Need ideas for last minute gifts? Here are a few items that you can buy at the last minute and will make great gifts.

❏ Wine – ladies would love pink rosé or Moscato
❏ Beer – buy those designer homebrews from microbreweries, a set of 2 or 3 will make any guy happy.
❏ Baked goods – cookies and pies would make great last minute gifts. They keep for long and will last (hopefully) last a few days.
❏ Preserves – jams and jellies also make good last-minute gifts. You can get them at the grocery and just put a pretty ribbon on the caps.

Christmas dinner:

❏ Plan your Christmas dinner. It’s usually one or two entrees, plus a couple of sides. You don’t have to slave in the kitchen for hours. Store bought is fine! Save yourself the trouble and gain peace of mind. You can get roast beef or rotisserie chicken, a Christmas ham, some spring rolls, and then just do a few side dishes like mac n cheese, your go-to salad, or some mashed potatoes. Encourage guests to bring their favorite side dishes to share and ask for the recipe at dinner. That would be fun!
❏ You can get store desserts (cakes and pies!) and just make it your own by adding a touch of cream or some jam/syrup. Store bought isn’t lazy, and taste just as good. You won’t be stuck in the kitchen all day and can use that time to hang out and catch up with loved ones.

What holiday shortcuts do you have? How do you reduce holiday stress? Share your tips with us in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard.

Nov26

Do these now and be ready for the holidays

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Do these now and be ready for the holidays

The holidays are near…so near..oh wait, it’s here! Would you look at that? Not so long ago we’ve been vowing all over social media that 2018 will be our year. Now, it’s almost over – just one more month to go and we’ll be declaring 2019 to be our year.

December is a bonus month. Before the second week rolls around we’re already on vacation mode – off to parties, holiday prep, and travel planning. Our minds are off work and are looking forward to celebrations and family gatherings.

Pre-planning helps you prevent being one of those people who haven’t planned their holidays and are buying last minute gifts in a frenzy. It can also help you avoid unnecessary costs since somehow, prices are jacked up closer to the holidays: plane tickets, hotel bookings, Christmas themed food items, kitschy gifts, even baked goods.

So before you get caught up in the hustle and bustle surrounding the holidays, here’s a quick checklist of things to do to get yourself ready for the holiday season. If you start early, you can still avoid the Christmas rush!

Things to do at work before you leave for the holidays

❏ Make sure that your projects are on track – work on your priority projects first but don’t drop the ball on your other projects.
❏ File for a leave – let them know how long you’ll be gone and when you’re expected back
❏ Delegate work and make it clear who’s leading the team while you’re gone. Designate a POC (Point of Contact person) who can answer work questions for you.
❏ Decide who gets your contact number – tip: not everyone should have it. Remember, no one wants to be bothered while on vacation. The less people know your contact number, the more you can enjoy your holiday.

Things to do if you’re traveling for the holidays

❏ Decide where you’re going to stay: hotel, Airbnb, staying with family?
❏ Book your accommodations well before the expected arrival date – will save you on cost and is less stressful than trying to book closer to the date.
❏ Check your car, supplies, gear, tickets, passport, etc.
❏ You might want to arrange for a pet or house sitter.
❏ Don’t forget your utility bills!

Things to do for Family, Friends and You

❏ Get Christmas gifts and host gifts if you’re staying in someone’s home.
❏ Check your budget – you don’t want to blow all your money on one holiday.
❏ Think about what food you want to prepare for Christmas and New Year. Don’t try to make everything yourself. Store bought is ok.

How do you prepare for the holidays? What other items do you think should be on this checklist? Share them with us in the comments. Stay humble, hustle hard.

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help

Sep4

Do the (side) Hustle!

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Do the (side) Hustle!

It’s September and as the weather starts to get cold, we start to heat up with excitement for the holidays. In the next few months, a plethora of holiday celebrations are about to arise – and expenses are expected to rise along with them. We’re looking at clothing and costumes, candy, decorations, trips, gifts, and food. And just about now, we’re gearing up for these expenses.

Even if we’re working a full-time job, everyone would welcome earning a little more money on the side. Some people are looking to augment their income, some people want to monetize and earn from their hobbies, and others are looking to build a business while working a full-time job. Whatever your reason is, there are a lot of professional careers and hobbies that can be a fun and lucrative way to earn more.

For the enterprising employee who needs ideas for side hustles that he/she can do while working a day job, this list is for you!

Tutoring:
Got a musical skill? Are you good at playing a musical instrument? There are a lot of parents who would like their child to learn a musical instrument – and with good reason. Learning a musical instrument at a young age builds character and has a lot of benefits. Teach a child to play the piano or the guitar. Or you can even give them voice lessons if you’ve got amazing vocal chops!

Are you good at math and science? You can probably work with older kids or teens on their maths. I know I needed help with algebra and geometry when I was younger. You can probably even help young adults who are at Uni with their calculus and statistics dilemma. Teach them your tips and tricks so that they can learn how to solve problems differently from textbook instruction.

Are you good at English or know another language? Why not be a remote language instructor? If you have ESL certification, you can teach to an older and more professional demographics. In countries like Japan, Korea, Hongkong, and UAE, people pay around $25 an hour for English lessons. Foreign languages (French, Spanish, Japanese, German, etc.) fetch a very good price, too. It’s a great way to make a solid income and “meet” friends from around the world.

Home Business:
Do you like cooking for other people? If you’ve got awesome baking skills, why not put that to good use? Even if you’re just a weekend warrior. You can sell your baked goodies for parties, weddings, and events. Most of them happen on a weekend anyway.

Got a hobby? If you’re good with needle and thread, you can accept alterations or create your own “clothing line” If you can only sew in a straight line, pajamas, pillowcases, and shopping bags are a great starting point.

Professional Online jobs:
If you have the skills and/or certifications for one of these, you can freelance your way into money making projects:
● Graphic Design
● Web development
● Accounting
● Virtual Assistance
● Writing
● Transcribing
● Consultancy (Design, Travel, Wellness, Career, etc.)

Hopefully, these ideas can help you side hustle your way into more moolah for the holidays. Got any more ideas? Share them with us in the comments. Stay humble, hustle hard!

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help