Social Sustainability Matters at the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Get in the spirit: Create a fun and festive environment where your staff can embrace the Christmas spirit, keeping morale high and fostering a feeling of teamwork. Maybe you could hold a contest to see who can come up with the best seasonal cocktail! If your team is having fun as they work, those good vibes come across to your customers.   

Be considerate in rostering: Getting staffing right during the festive season can be the key to a happy and motivated workforce. While it’s crucial to ensure enough coverage during this busy time, it’s also important to create a fair rota that recognises individual needs and ensures everyone gets some time off. Avoid burn-out by ensuring you allocate adequate staff for each shift.  

Communicate and train: Keep your team connected by regularly communicating about the weeks ahead. Provide training on your festive cocktail menu and make sure everyone on your team is equipped to provide a great customer experience.  

Acknowledge and reward: Pressure on staff is intense at this time of year. Make sure to acknowledge hard work – even a simple ‘thank you for today’ can go a long way – and reward those who consistently surpass customer expectations. You could even introduce incentives like end-of-season bonuses or vouchers to keep employees engaged throughout. In January when things calm down, throw a party, take your staff to dinner.  

Get festive: Celebrate your community by supporting or attending local Christmas markets or events or inviting local musicians to play in your bar. You could also host giveaways over the course of the month, offering prizes like a voucher for your establishment or a hamper of branded merchandise.  

Donate: With the current cost of living crisis, this Christmas will be a challenging time for many families. Show you care by donating money or time to fundraisers for local charities, relief programmes and other causes. You could also partner with a charity to set up a standing donation where a certain percentage of sales of a particular drink or dish is earmarked for their cause.   

Choose local: Buying directly from producers in your area supports small business owners and keeps money in the local economy. Even if it’s sourcing local honey for your hot whiskeys or buying cream from a small-scale dairy down the road, your custom can make a big difference – and customers will appreciate this, too.