With the new year right around the corner, most organizations are scrambling to meet year-end numbers, close out the books or fill that much needed open position so they can head into the new year strong. Chances are this is the time of year you may see the focus of even the most motivated team members wane. Below is a list of reasons why you should consider promoting a full-court press through the holidays and the benefits your organization and your employees could see as a result:

The Best Time To Connect

This is the most important tip to offer. The holidays just bring something out in people. If you are in business development or a client-facing role that requires you to connect with another company’s executives, this is a great time of the year. At a time when many would tend to think it's a bad time to make calls or stop in for a visit, the opposite is true. Think more sales and better candidate pools.

Really Connect

Not only are you more likely to reach them, you are often more likely to reach them in good spirits. Key players are using this time to complete neglected items, both physical and mental. They are hard at work knocking off their checklist. A short and warm conversation may be the break they needed and a win for you.

Keep Them Motivated

This can be a great time to implement an extra incentive bonus, dangle more options for future time off or any other creative ways to put your employees in the holiday spirit. This can keep them energized and focused at a time that often pulls people in many directions and productivity suffers.

Empower or be Empowered

With people out on vacation or projects on hold, this can be a great time to consider the training you have been putting off. Get creative and customize it to fit individuals or empower your team to come up with something they want to improve upon within their role or responsibility. It’s never too late to learn something new. Consider the synergy during the holiday as an added bonus.

Make it Worthwhile

In the end if you’re careful, you may find that you were able to turn a period of slow productivity and lower focused employees into a team of top performers. This could impact your bottom line, but also build momentum going into the next year. It may take a little extra planning and money on your end, however, the potential rewards far outweigh the investment for all involved.

For more tips to keep your employees motived during the holiday season, check out this article from CIO.com.