Dear Santa,
It is that time of the year again. While the world is struggling to deal with a pandemic, we can only hope that Christmas brings in some happiness and hope. To be honest, I had actually contemplated writing a letter to the real Santa (wait, but he existed just the other day… when I was a kid!), but then I held back considering his already overflowing workload. And then, the workload reminded me of you! It would be really appreciable if you can take up the role of Santa for all your employees this time. There’s no deadline really, you can just plan on how to keep your employees happy throughout the year.
We have some really simple expectations from you, and that would be enough to make us happy.
Talk to us. No one till date has developed an app which can translate the employer’s silent looks into a language we understand! Oh yes we get it, you were not pleased with me. That showed up in my yearly assessment and my sad pay check. If only you would have kept an open atmosphere of communication, told me where I was lacking and listened to me in return, I would have been far less stressed about work.
Some recognition and praise tied up with a ribbon please? Words can go a long way. Yes money does matter, but a recent survey has shown that about 65% employees would prefer staying with a good boss compared to a 10% salary hike. Please appreciate us now and then, even if the achievement was really small. Your words of recognition will inspire us to keep up the consistent good work.
Back in the days when Santa actually remembered us, we couldn’t wait to finish studies. But now, Santa, we would actually appreciate some extra learning. Can you please give us the gift of some constructive training and mentorship opportunities, teach us something new and give us more opportunities to grow in our career? We’ll get the company to new heights, I am sure.
I hope I had been a good employee throughout the year (Santa doesn’t gift you otherwise), but even those first benchers in school had got bad grades in something, some time! Please create a safe place for our failures. We just want to be assured that our failures will be met with constructive feedbacks and support and not negative remarks. Only then will we get the courage to try out something completely new.
And to end my list of how to keep your employees happy, I would request you to be a leader rather than a boss. Let us be your teammates, don’t make us feel like employees who are inferior to you. Be approachable so that we can just head to your room in case of any doubt. Be the one we can trust. Be the captain who steers the ship.
So, that’s all about my little Christmas wish list. Merry Christmas, Santa!
Dear employees,
I’ll be honest too, I have never begun writing a letter under that name. It sure makes me very happy to be able to be your Santa, but it’s a big responsibility too. A responsibility I would love to take up. I sincerely hope I will be able to keep all your wishes. They are not that difficult (you didn’t even ask for an increase in your salary. Wow, are you really that good?).
Also, here’s what I will try to do.
I read somewhere that while many bosses hold their employees accountable, the best ones hold themselves accountable as well. We will all be responsible for our success and failures. I should not expect you to abide by rules which I show no regards for. We are all the same, I am just senior in experience. We are in this together.
I guess you expect me to have exemplary problem solving skills. I hope I can live up to all of your expectations. I will try to spot a problem even before it arises so that we can brainstorm unique ways to solve it. You can also be confident that I will come up with a solution if any one of you come up to me with a problem. Less problems would mean that my team is happier.
While I trust all of you with your decisions, the responsibility of making the final decision still lies with me. Though it can be tricky sometimes, I know I cannot vacillate over every small decision. If you are waiting for my decision on something, I will be quick about it, so you can implement it in your work as soon as possible.
I am always going to put you, my teammates first, and myself later. I am sure that will make you happy. A good boss needs to understand work-life balance, that there needs to be a balance between the company’s needs and its employees’ needs. If you feel valued, you will be happier. And happier employees are more productive employees.
You never brought this up in your letter, but I am sure you had wanted to! How about some extra incentives this Christmas just because you considered me your Santa? Or maybe some of that all the year round, depending on your performance? Maybe a sponsored trip sometimes for my best employee? Let me think about it!
Wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year too.
Your Santa.