As the sun sets on a fantastic holiday, it’s not only the travellers who get the post-holiday blues. Your staff, who have thrived in the frenetic pace of the peak period, might start to feel unmotivated, jittery and bored in the slower times.

So how do you keep your staff feeling positive and motivated in the quieter seasons? If you’ve got fabulous staff you’ll want a plan to ensure they stick around. We’ve got 4 key things you can try to keep your employees full of beans during the low season.

1. Lead by example

The most important thing you can do for your staff is to ensure that you are giving out an enthusiastic, optimistic vibe. As the front of your operation, you are a weathervane for the rest of the team. If you’re feeling down during the slower months, then your gloom will infect your staff. If you know that you are susceptible to the a post-rush low, then make sure that you have some solid plans in place to keep you busy and vital which leads us to:

2. Get reflective

When you are in the full swing of the season, you might think things like

‘I’d love to update the website with some new reviews’

‘Is it time to refresh the branding?’

Or even:

‘When was the last time I cleaned out my desk? I can’t find anything!’

The low season isn’t just a time to get around to the tasks that keep your business ticking over, it’s also an opportunity for you and your team to actually think about how you are doing things.

Put aside some time to get your staff out of the office. Assess the busy period that has just been. Instead of just being in ‘go-go-go’ mode all the time, a quieter period allows you to really look at how you are operating and ask:

• How could we improve on what we are doing?
• Are we happy with our current proposition?
• How are we stacking up compared to other operators?
• Where do we want to be?

Creating a day for contemplation and strategy will demonstrate to your staff that you value their feedback and the injection of new ideas. A new perspective can be enormously effective in infusing your staff with a new energy.

3. Get creative

Slower times are perfect to spark creativity. If you’ve taken some time to reflect on the business, you can also start to implement those ideas. The quiet season is the time to start:

• Ensuring that your marketing activity is attracting your ideal customer
• Working on new campaigns
• Looking at website improvements
• Expanding your operation

Getting your staff heavily involved in these projects isn’t just about keeping them busy, it’s empowering them to come up with ideas and to have an active say in the business. If you let them take ownership over one of these projects you will also create a culture of trust and transparency. According to Ayelet Noff, CEO of Blonde 2.0:

“If you let them know you trust and depend on them, they will fill those shoes sooner than you think. A vote of confidence can go a long way. Let them know you trust them to do the best job possible and they will rarely disappoint you.”

4. Reward a successful season

Working over the holidays is a very common occupational hazard for those in our line of work. Your team should not miss out on the Chrissy party, instead you should save it for that quiet time. Be it a paint-ball day, a fantastic dinner or even some quiet Friday drinks, it’s important that you use this time to acknowledge how hard your team have worked and how much you appreciate them.

We hope our pointers have given you some inspiration to invigorate your staff. If you’d like to know more about how to boost activity during the quieter times, you should download our ebook: Make the most of the low season today.