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How to deal with the office GRINCH?

by | Dec 9, 2022 | HR Resources

Christmas time in the office

Christmas time in the office.

How to deal with the office GRINCH?

It’s full of Fa la la la la, la la la la and maybe a few bah humbugs!
Decorating the office for Christmas will increase employees’ happiness and boost their morale!
Or will it? Is there a Grinch in your office? Here are a few HR ‘approved’ ways to combat an office Grinch…

  1. When serving any festive foods, stick to the 4 main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup.
  2. Always greet them with festive cheer!
  3. Make sure that you take special care when decorating their office space / desk / pod – more is definitely more!
  4. The best way to spread Christmas Cheer… is SINGING LOUD FOR ALL TO HEAR!

WHAT ARE THE CHRISTMAS TREE GUIDELINES? DOES YOUR OFFICE HAVE A POLICY?

It’s officially December which means…
It’s time to rock around the office Christmas tree!
We hope you are all getting into the festive mood with decorations and, Christmas trees.

HERE’S 4 TOP TIPS TO COMBAT CHRISTMAS TREE CONFLICTS IN YOUR OFFICE

  1. Before you start, let everyone know that this is supposed to be fun and a team bonding experience
  2. Prepare the tree area beforehand to avoid any health and safety risks
  3. Completely disregard point 1 & 2 and bonk your colleague on the head with an empty roll of

    wrapping paper

  4. Argue incessantly about which baubles should go at the front
  5. Give up on adding chocolate decorations because dietary requirements are an absolute HR

    nightmare.

  6. Give up, let the team go home early and just do it yourself.
  7. Agree a method on deciding who is responsible for taking the decs down .. Rock, Paper,

    Scissors or ‘short straws?

Christmas also means Christmas Jumper Day.

Christmas Jumper Day this year is on Thursday, 8th Dec. But you can do it any day you want to! Some people might even wear Christmas jumpers from the start of December.

Christmas Jumper Day started back in 2012, where millions of people put their festive wear on and donated £2 to Save the Children, and started to make the world better for children around the world.

We know how much everyone loves to go all out for Christmas jumper day!

It’s Christmas Party season!

We all love a good work party, but we also know how sometimes issues can ruin the evening and become a HR nightmare on the following Monday morning.

To avoid that, make sure you have a Party Memo in place so all your staff know what is acceptable or unacceptable! Make sure everyone is invited and know that you will do your best to accommodate their needs, whether it’s dietary requirements, disability or religion.

Now, if you’ve got any other tips and tricks and silliness, let us know how you’re finding it in your office.

Disclaimer; this is a tongue-in-cheek festive blog but on a serious note, we know that Christmas can be a stressful, challenging time for some and your friendly HR elves are on hand to help if you need us.

As we had recently come up against some difficult staffing issues which we had not experienced before, Ellen Parkin at Spire HR was recommended to us by one of our business partners to guide and assist us with the complex HR legalities we needed to adhere to.

Ellen was very efficient and professional and gave us instant confidence that she would be able to competently provide the help we needed. Ellen was readily accessible via email or telephone throughout the whole process and gave us the vital lifeline we needed during a very emotive and stressful time. Spire HR realised that as an SME, we had to balance the commercial viability for HR consultancy with the expertise and guidance we needed and Ellen was open and honest from the outset, providing a cost-effective and professional service. I would therefore have no hesitation in recommending Spire HR to anyone.

 

We are too small to justify a full-time HR employee; yet we cannot afford to ‘get it wrong’ The excellent service offered by Spire HR Solutions is the perfect solution for us

 

AGP have used Spire HR Solutions Limited for numerous matters relating to HR issues for both ourselves and clients of the practice. I have always found them to be extremely knowledgeable and helpful and to be very responsive to our needs.

Spire is now the practice’s first point of contact for any HR issues we encounter and I would certainly recommend them to anyone in need of assistance with any HR matters.

 

Ellen has helped streamline procedures and provide greater controls through her extensive knowledge and professional dedication, which has enabled me to concentrate on my main objective, growing the business.

I would say ‘key’ to her service is the confidence she provides with the HR guidance, I know without doubt that when dealing with my employees I follow the correct procedure and staff feel confident that they have the right HR support. The guidance on our bonus structure and appraisal scheme is one of many examples in which Ellen’s guidance has been invaluable.

I have been pleased with work Ellen has done for us and would not hesitate to recommend her to others. She provides a high quality, professional service and is very responsive to the needs of a small, growing organisation.

 
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