Holiday Decorating for a Sane Workplace

04 Nov Holiday Decorating for a Sane Workplace

As we’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, the holiday season can bring great rewards and great stress when managing your business. While we all like to see our numbers go into the black, the day-to-day realities of handling an influx of customers can present challenges. Striking a balance between these two realities can be accomplished by thinking through options to simplify where you can while keeping what is most important clearly in focus.

At AdvoCharge, we pride ourselves on providing cutting edge merchant service tools that help make doing business easier. We also know that there is more to success than just seeing your numbers improve. With that in mind, we’ve come up with a short list of things you can do around your workspace to help improve your mood and keep you sane during the holidays.

1. Don’t Overdo It

Pretty much everyone has a neighbor or two that can get a bit too enthusiastic with their holiday decorations. Plastic reindeer on the roof, lights in every tree, and a giant blow-up snow man in the yard may seem amusing at first, but when you live next door to it, the light pollution alone can be overwhelming.

The same things that get under your skin about holiday decoration for homes is true for your business. By all means, deck the halls, but don’t go overboard. You shouldn’t be struggling to work around troublesome tinsel or obstructive reindeer statuary. You don’t want to be tired of the same music by the end of the first week of December. Pick your holiday decorations with care and make sure that each one is something that you enjoy, in addition to appealing to your customers.

2. Make it Personal

As noted above, there is more to success than just watching your numbers improve. Making sure that that the spaces that you work and spend time in are pleasant and comfortable makes more difference than you may realize.

In particular, in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, having a personal workspace that really fits your needs can make a huge difference. Have a look at the space where you work most of the time. Is it a cash register? A desk? As you face the increased demands of the season, consider taking a few moments to organize your workspace, and add a little something for the season that is personally meaningful to you. A decoration from your children or a memento of seasons past may be just the totem you need to stay calm in a blizzard of activity.

3. Find Time & Space for Quiet

Take a look at your break room, bathroom, or backroom. Chances are, for general sanity purposes you have an area at your place of business that isn’t 100% dedicated to working. This space can be just a space, or it can be a bit of a sanctuary, often by just taking a little care to ensure it is clean, comfortable, and pleasant. Whether you have a modern breakroom with a complete kitchenette and pool table, or just a humble water cooler and a quiet space to catch your breath, the hustle and bustle of the holidays makes having a personal space to retreat for a quick break especially important.

4. Have Fun

It can be easy to forget this last one around the holidays, but always remember that however you decorate, make sure to have some fun with it. Your customers are your first priority and for many businesses the holiday season is when you’ll be seeing them the most. If your decorations are authentically special to you, that energy will come through like a warm embrace. The inverse is also true: if you treat your holiday decorating like a chore, that dispirited feeling may also make itself apparent to your customers. Express yourself in your own unique way and take some time to enjoy the holidays. After all, no one likes a scrooge.

From the AdvoCharge family to yours, we wish you good business and a happy holiday season!