Maintaining employee morale during the holiday season is of paramount importance, particularly within the construction trades where staff retention is increasingly challenging. Eric and John engage in a thoughtful discourse on strategies to foster happiness and satisfaction among employees during this often tumultuous time. They emphasize the significance of personal connections, suggesting that leaders take the time to listen to their team members and recognize their individual contributions. Moreover, they advocate for thoughtful gestures, such as personalized gifts or bonuses that reflect the appreciation of each employee's unique role within the organization. Ultimately, the conversation underscores the value of human kindness and attentiveness in cultivating a supportive work environment, particularly when the pressures of the holiday season can weigh heavily on all involved.

The discussion navigates the intricate dynamics of maintaining employee morale during the holiday season, particularly within the construction and trades sectors, where the challenges of workforce retention are heightened. Eric and John delve into the emotional nuances that accompany the festive period, highlighting the stressors that both employers and employees face. As the year draws to a close, many workers find themselves reflecting on their job satisfaction and future prospects, making it imperative for employers to foster a supportive and engaging work environment. The conversation emphasizes the significance of demonstrating appreciation through personalized gestures, such as thoughtful gifts or one-on-one interactions, which can profoundly impact an employee's sense of value and belonging within the company. Furthermore, the hosts advocate for genuine communication and active listening as essential tools for enhancing workplace relationships and ensuring that employees feel heard and respected, particularly during a time when personal challenges may be exacerbated by holiday pressures.

Takeaways:

• Maintaining employee morale during the holiday season is crucial due to emotional stress.
• Employers should prioritize creating a supportive environment to foster team cohesion and loyalty.
• Genuine gestures of concern significantly enhance employee satisfaction and overall workplace morale.
• Tailoring gifts to individual employee preferences can greatly increase feelings of appreciation and value.

Links referenced in this episode:

• aroundthehouseonline.com

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• House Pro Insider
• Wellborn
• Safeway
• site Hype Designs

Mentioned in this episode:

Its time to upgrade your website with Site Hype Designs!

Be one of the first to grab the 10 spots available for Site Hype Designs special holiday sale! Message John at John@Sitehypedesigns.com and use promo code Johnny Claus in the subject line and see if you qualify!

Foreign.

The House Pro Insider.

This is the podcast for trades pros, carpenters, contractors, interior designers and innovators building homes, renovating spaces, or creating the next big thing.

Let's dive in with your host, Eric.

G. Welcome to the around the House Pro Insider.

This is for you guys out there that are welcome.

Well, working in the trades, managing a construction company, maybe you've got your own interior design firm or you're an interior designer or that inventor coming up with the next new neatest thing for home improvement.

We have got you covered right here.

I'm Eric G. Hey, John Dudley.

How we doing, brother?

Doing great, brother.

How are you doing?

Happy Sunday.

Is it happy Sunday for us?

Yeah, we're pulling the seven day work week like we usually do, so no.

Why not?

What else are we going to do?

Get in trouble?

Hey, man, I wanted to talk about a couple things here.

Now that we're cruising into the holidays, I thought let's have a little chit chat about keeping employee morale up around the holidays.

Because so many people out there in the construction trades, we got a shortage.

You want to keep your people around, it's harder to find those replacement employees.

Even if you got that one that you maybe want to get rid of, maybe it's easier to hang out with them for a little bit instead of trying to find somebody else.

And I get that.

But if we can keep everybody kind of chill and happy over the holidays.

This is that time of year where a lot of people out there, and I know that I was when I was working for people, debating if I'm going to work for them for another year.

Holidays down with family going, wow, not real happy.

This last year you take that internal test, right?

You always do.

Yeah.

It's that end of year contemplation.

Where am I?

Where are we going?

What's happening here?

And I'll tell you this as an employer, both of us, right?

The other hard point here is that everybody gets stressed.

You're stressed about the holidays, you're stressed about we gotta get this project done because they need their kitchen for the holidays, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

So there's a ton of extra heightened emotion going on.

And you as the boss, as the owner, as the CEO, whatever you want to call yourself, you have to pull it together and be on your best behavior because you start pissing people off around the holidays.

Then we're back to contemplating what I'm doing next year.

The last thing you want to do is look like the boss man in Christmas vacation where he didn't Throw out, toss out the bonuses and Uncle Eddie comes and kidnaps you in the motorhome and takes you over to the Christmas party.

Exactly.

That's not what you need out there.

My thing is whether or not.

And there are liabilities for throwing that big Christmas party.

Everybody's drinking, everybody's having a good time.

And that can go sideways, that can go bad.

But maybe it's even as simple as looking at all the people, you know, for a nice lunch or a nice dinner, for a one on one where you can talk to them, listen, don't talk as much, listen what they have to say.

I think if you can give them a little bit of a feel of a win and most importantly, they feel heard.

Yeah.

Show them that you care.

Yeah, no, that's huge.

That's how you create a good team.

Right.

Because then you become, and I hesitate, say friends, but that's what you want.

It's what you want it to feel like.

You want to feel like a gang, you want to feel like a team.

And that keeps me working harder for somebody when I'm.

When I feel appreciated, when I feel heard, when I feel like you remember my kid's name or you care about how it's going with my side project or like that stuff keeps people feeling valued.

And that's what we all want as humans, period.

I used to go through the Wellborn cabinet factory and Mr. Wellborn had walked through there and there's hundreds of employees, probably 4 or 500.

He would walk through there and hey Jim, how's the kids?

How's Jeremy?

Doing that kind of.

Now, as far as I know, he could have been completely faking us for all of us people working through there.

The guy's name was Bill, but he did a good job of it, let's put it that way.

So if you can get around, if.

That'S all that matters, I'm glad you said that on me.

I know it.

See, that's my little cynical really.

If you look at it though, if you can just understand and listen and importantly, if they, if you're going to get them a gift, get them something that's personal.

If the guy's a scotch drinker, get him a good bottle of scotch.

If the guy likes to go out and take his wife out to dinner all the time, get him a good gift certificate so they can go do that.

Yeah, let's iterate like that depends.

And I say this because when I was 20, was working for a giant masonry company who everybody knows in Seattle.

Yep, amazing company.

Amazing People, greatest company in the world, Fantastic Christmas parties.

Speaking of liability, those couple of those went awry.

Yeah, but no, nothing super bad.

Point being is like, out.

I had to bail them out after they walked through the glass door at the hotel that we threw.

It was a couple of those.

Yeah, yeah.

But.

But my point being is that you got 100 employees or 300 employees, whatever, it's it.

Sometimes you gotta go, okay, everybody gets a Safeway turkey.

I can't.

Or everybody.

Come on.

Okay, Johnny, here's the thing.

Everybody hates turkey.

I'm sorry.

Me As a single 20 year old, the last thing I needed was a freaking turkey.

That's what I'm talking about.

No, what I do with this thing, it stayed in my freezer for two years or until I moved and I threw it out.

Yeah, I don't know how to cook a turkey.

And the ham can go sideways with certain religious sect out there.

That can go bad.

So sometimes it's better just give everybody a bonus.

Throw the cash at them, keep everybody happy, make them feel valued.

Sometimes, I don't know, people eat turkey on Thanksgiving because they have to, not because they want to.

I do like turkey, but.

Yeah, I digress.

Now the point being is, again, I think everybody wants to feel valued.

And it's not, in my opinion, bonus.

No bonus.

Giant bonus.

Small bonus.

Yeah, people get pissy over that stuff if they've come to expect it.

You know what I mean?

If you got three grand one year and then the next year you got a turkey, you're a little miffed.

So careful with that.

Be careful with that.

And value the person more than just.

Let's don't buy your kids off.

No, give them some time.

Give them some time.

They'll just buy them a toy and tell them to go away.

Yeah, people just want to be heard, want to be valued.

I think you made a really good point.

That's.

That keeps people excited and keeps people happy.

Show your own holiday spirit.

Right?

Show that you're in a good mood.

Go on.

And again, make sure you're mentally and emotionally fit as an owner, that you're not showing that stress that you may be suffering right now because projects are behind.

Because you take that out on the guys, man, and they think about what's coming next year.

They're like, sick of this.

Yep, absolutely.

And the other thing is too, is, you know, when you're doing this kind of stuff, you got to really think ahead too, because you're planning on next year.

Maybe what you do is you figure that that Holiday bonus is based around how successful a year you guys had.

If you had a killer year, you just kind of go, hey, it's going to be a good, better or best on a tough year, you're going to be good on a good year.

We're going to be better.

If we go out and crush and everybody's killer team and everything works, it's going to be best.

Yep.

And you know something, guys, it was a tough year and it was good.

So I'm going to get you good.

Yeah.

Yep.

And I don't think they have to be all the same.

I think you can have tears in there as well, depending on who's working the hardest.

Oh, for sure, for sure.

Don't think me as a 20 year old apprentice got the same bonus that the manager did, superintendent did.

Yeah, that's not happening, dude.

Superintendent made the company hundreds of thousands of dollars.

I helped.

But yeah, yeah, you get the point.

You're part of the team.

Yeah, exactly.

So I think those things are really important just to keep the morale up and make sure that if you're coming up, you got a payroll period coming up and it's right before the holidays, make sure that you get that check to them quick.

Make sure you get them taken care of quick.

They're trying to go out and buy their stuff for the holidays.

Yeah.

And if this is a good time too, if you got somebody in there that you know is struggling, they're having a hard time, maybe put your arm around them and help lift them up a little bit.

If they're barely making it, if they're going through the divorce, if you're got the kids that are having issues, spend a little more time, see if you can invest a little bit in that and make them feel hurt even more.

So just support the one that are needing a little help.

But at the same point, if you got that derelict in there, that's not worth anything, I get rid of them, I get rid of people fast.

Yeah.

Again, I think just the basic human kindness goes a long ways, man.

A lot further than the turkey, oftentimes a lot further than a dollar.

Yeah.

Like you say, put your arm around, hey man, everything good, you can have a good holiday, you got a place to go like that.

Caring about people is what not only every business needs, but the rest of the world needs just in general.

Just be a good, kind human, pull all the financial stress and all the your problems out of it for a minute and genuinely care about the people that honestly are providing you a living as an owner.

Like, without those guys, you're back to putting tool bags on, son.

So rule number one, don't be a. Yeah, don't be a dick.

Rule number one, don't be a dick.

So, one other thing too, man.

I wanted to talk about your kind of little promotion you've been doing for site Hype Designs.

We've had a lot of people reach out, but none of them are really qualified.

So we still got some spaces open for that.

We've got people out there that we know we can help.

Some of the people that reached out are probably not suitable for this.

And so I think if you guys are hearing that ad still, we're still doing it.

You just got to be a little special.

You want to be able to do some stuff right now and get after it.

Now's the time to do it.

So it's not that we haven't had people reach out, but here's the question.

Are you qualified?

Yeah.

Let's find out.

And it really.

This is the best time to do it, guys, because everybody slows down.

Everybody stops.

Right now, you got to be moving, because after the first of the year and get closer to tax time, everybody wants to move.

It's just.

It's just like booking your project at the right time at the wrong time of year.

Let's get this stuff done before or don't wait till after the new year, because that's what everybody's doing.

And now you're at the back of the line.

That's why I've been working through my accounting guys.

They're taking over stuff right now, and I signed up with them a month ago, and they're working on stuff right now, and it's the perfect time for me.

So that way, when I start the fresh year, it's boom.

We got all the new systems in place.

We're ready to go.

It's just a perfect time to do this stuff.

Including website design.

Yeah.

It just feels better.

It does, it does.

Johnny, is there anything you want to mention in this before we head out and call it a end of the insider for the day?

No, man.

Like I said, human kindness.

That's what the holidays should be about, really.

And that's what running a business should be about.

It's what I always tried to be, was a team member, not the owner.

I never wanted to be the fat guy at the top.

I always wanted to be part of the team.

Whether that was demoing toilets and getting in there and getting my hands dirty with the guys and showing them that I ain't afraid to do that even though I write the checks.

Yep.

That's how you create a team.

That's how you create a successful enterprise with a bunch of people that'll fight for you.

And when the chips are down, man, there's some fighting to be done.

Sometimes you want those guys on your side.

Cool.

That's all I got.

Absolutely, brother.

Great, great input there and guys out there.

If you have any questions, shoot us an email over here at the website around the house online.com if you got something that you want help with.

We're here to help you out and help you grow your business and get it dialed in so it's easier on you and the rest of the team and you make some extra money while you're at it.

So the win win, brother.

Cool, man.

Good to see you, brother.

Good to see you.

I'm Eric G. And for Johnny D, you've been listening to the around the house pro Insider.

Thanks for tuning in to the around the house pro Insider.

We are happy to be back.

Make sure you subscribe so you know to catch the next episode.

We will see you next time.

Man.

I need to focus now.

What is that?