CEO Corner-Ways To Prepare Your Business For Christmas Time

Written by Soong Chong, CEO

Christmas is approaching rapidly and we at EBR couldn't be more excited. Christmas is a big time of the year, not only for families but for businesses as well. During the holiday seasons businesses must plan ahead and organise how operations will run during a time of the year when so much is going on.

Here are my top 5 tips on how to prepare your business for Christmas season:

• Keep your Customers & Suppliers Informed
  Most companies have a shut down period of 1-2 weeks for the Christmas break. It is vital to keep the customers and suppliers of your business informed of the dates of your shut down. In addition it is best to announce these dates as soon as possible as there may be a lot of work that needs to be completed before the office shut down.
  
  
• Get An Early Start
  During Christmas time the office may become chaotic with a million tasks that must be completed whether it be wrapping presents or sending out Christmas cards. As there is always so much going on in the month of December it is best to get a heads start and prepare earlier. The best time to do so would be early November which will give you time to organise everything before end of the year comes.
  
  
• Get Everyone to Help
  It is impossible for one staff member to take care of all the Christmas activities as there is so much to do during this time. Don't be afraid to ask your staff to help you with certain tasks. Delegate certain tasks to certain staff members, one person can organise the Christmas Lunch, whereas the other can order gifts and cards for your stakeholders. By everyone chipping in, it will reduce the stress level in the office, thereby keeping everyone happy and in a festive joyful mood.
  
  
• Set Up Auto-Responses for Emails
  During your company Christmas break people may still try and contact you  about important things. Make sure you have set up your work email with  information about where you are, what date you will be back and also how to  contact you should something urgent arise.
  
  
• Have Fun!
  With so much going during this crazy time we may sometimes feel stressed, but its important to remember that this time only comes around once a year! Have fun in your office with your colleagues, reflect on what you've achieved for 2012, and think of new years resolutions for 2013!