Why You Need to Invest in Your Employees and Community This Holiday Season

The holidays are upon us, and with the influx of shoppers and leave requests from employees, this is the busiest time of year for businesses. It can be challenging for business owners to balance marketing priorities while preparing for the coming year, but the giving season also serves as a great opportunity for business owners to make a positive impact.

Investing in employees and the local community is a great way to strengthen your business to close out the year, as it can help improve morale, increase customer loyalty and set your business up for success in the new year. As business owners look to get into the holiday spirit, here are a few ways they can give back to their business this season.

Related: 7 Easy Ways to Thank Your Employees This Holiday Season

Invest in your employees

According to the latest Bank of America Women and Minority Business Owner Spotlight, 63% of US business owners plan to expand their businesses in the next year, and more than half plan to hire in the next 12 months. Employees are an important part of business operations, and it is up to business owners to ensure that their work culture and behavior are supported during their expansion efforts. Assess your company’s existing culture and how employee needs are met and prioritized alongside business needs. From there, outline possible strategies to close any gaps.

During the busy holiday season, consider ways to reduce employee stress by making small changes to schedules. This can have a huge impact on employees, especially those who are parents and may be juggling childcare during the winter school break. Increasing communication, transparent planning and offering flexible work options, if possible, can significantly reduce employee stress.

Besides operational changes, 83% of business owners invest in education, according to Bank of America, and recognize the value their employees see in programs such as on-site training and mentoring. For employees interested in career growth, professional development opportunities are a great way to strengthen existing talent and increase retention.

Workplace culture programs such as employee resource groups can also reinforce a positive environment for employees – and encouraging friendly employees improves customer interaction as an added benefit. There are many strategies that business owners can use to improve the workplace; Knowing your employees and recognizing their needs is key to ensuring your business is well staffed and thriving.

Connect with your community

In addition to your employees, it’s important for business owners to appreciate the mutual relationships they have with their communities. When a community supports its local business owners, those businesses thrive, and in turn are able to reinvest in the community, provide jobs and grow the local economy. This creates a positive feedback loop of support that is essential for long-term community growth.

Business owners can explore various ways to give back to their communities, such as donating to local nonprofits, sponsoring community events and programs, and offering discounts specific to residents. Workshops, seasonal celebrations and employee volunteer programs are just a few examples of how business owners can encourage community engagement to help people make a personal connection to their business beyond the products or services it offers.

Try to connect and collaborate with other local businesses – not only can mutual agreement increase your presence in the community, but it can provide you with cost savings that can be reinvested in the business. For example, you can participate in cost sharing to reduce certain costs for you and your neighboring business owners. Whether you’re partnering to pay for health care plans, sharing resources and services or offering discounts to overlapping customers, working with other businesses can be very rewarding, and the cost savings can help allow each business owner to keep the right prices for their customers.

Related: 4 Ways Your Company Can Benefit From Giving Back

Give and give back

Investing in your employees and your community is an investment in your business. Today’s consumers value businesses that live up to their values, so showing that you care about your community is a powerful and rewarding way to improve brand reputation and increase customer loyalty.

By investing in your community, you can encourage employees to take pride in your company, knowing that it is creating a positive impact on the community around them. These strengths, coupled with improvements in employee training and systems, will position your business as the best place to work.

As you position your business for success in 2025, consider starting that momentum by supporting and empowering your employees and community. Giving back is a win-win, fostering both internal and external growth for long-term success.