Here we are at Christmas Eve. Hasn’t that come around fast? Technically of course today is the end of Advent, but our series has never ended today and nor will it this year. We keep going until we run out of posts, and by my estimation around 25% of posts are written post-Christmas, as if the festive period itself provides more time for reflection. Is that the case for you? Send something across if so.
Today at home it is a half quiet, half busy day. The quiet half comes early – we will lie in, and not do much until after lunch. Then we will go for a traditional family Christmas Eve walk. Not far, not long, but enough to tire out the younger children. By the time we get back it will be semi-dark, and as soon as darkness falls it is action stations. The Santa tracker will be active, and there are various activities to complete for everyone before the younger kids go to bed around 8pm. After that – well, we are busy until we go to bed around 11pm. I hope that your day is filled with stuff you enjoy too.
Today’s post is from Kate Griffiths-Lambeth, who you can find on LinkedIn. She is also on BlueSky (@kategl). I was lucky enough to inherit the curation of this series from Kate in 2019. Kate curated this series marvellously for five years and it is in her footsteps that I have travelled. I’ve met Kate on numerous occasions and am inspired by her as a human being and as an HR professional. She is amongst the best you will find on both counts. Kate was Group HR Director at Charles Stanley for around 6 years, and has had a stellar career in various organisations at senior HR level prior to that. Kate lives with her family in London and is a joy to spend time with.
Over to Kate:
Ah, Christmas Eve. A night of magic, wonder, and last-minute sleigh preparations at the North Pole. As the workshop buzzed with elves checking lists (twice), Santa polishing his boots, and Mrs. Claus baking cookies to rival any seen on MasterChef (but, as a middle-class woman of a certain age, just wanting people to enjoy them), there was one reindeer glaring at the sleigh. His name was Rudolph.
Now, Rudolph wasn’t like the others. Oh, he was still a top-tier reindeer: strong, swift, with a nose that glowed brighter than an LED fairy light. But Rudolph had developed a taste for the modern way of life. You see, during the off-season, Rudolph had discovered working from home.
While Dasher and Prancer embraced team-building exercises and Blitzen took every opportunity to show off his gym gains that would help him to pull greater weights, Rudolph preferred quiet nights in his stable. He’d mastered the art of virtual meetings (“Can you hear me now, Santa?”), streamlined elf delivery processes with reindeer-friendly software, and even found time to velvet his antlers. But now, as Santa jingled the reins and the rest of the team pawed the snow, Rudolph’s heart sank.
“I don’t want to go,” he muttered.
“What’s that?” asked Comet, already stretching his hamstrings.
“I said, I don’t want to go. I’m more productive from here. Why pull a sleigh when I can coordinate logistics remotely?”
Comet rolled his eyes. “It’s Christmas, Rudolph. You can’t exactly sleigh from home.”
But Rudolph wasn’t budging. “The stable has excellent Wi-Fi. I could even use my nose as a hotspot. There’s got to be another way!”
Word soon reached Santa, who was midway through checking his route with Mrs. Claus and the Chief Elf. With a deep sigh, he summoned the HR Fairy.
Now, the HR Fairy was no ordinary being. With a flick of her magic wand, she could solve even the most complicated elf disputes and once successfully mediated a row between the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. Her method for dealing with the harassment complaint made by an elf for his being put on a shelf is now a case study. If anyone could convince Rudolph, it was her.
“Rudolph,” she began, her glittering wings fluttering as she perched on a bale of hay, “what’s all this about refusing to pull the sleigh?”
“I’m all for Christmas spirit,” Rudolph said, “but surely, in this digital age, there’s a better way. Hybrid sleigh delivery, perhaps?”
The HR Fairy nodded thoughtfully. “I see your point, Rudolph. Work-life balance is important, and so is productivity; remote working has proven benefits. But have you considered the magic of being part of a team? Of seeing children’s faces light up because you helped Santa deliver joy?”
Rudolph shuffled his hooves. “I suppose that’s nice. But still, the commute…”
The HR Fairy smiled. “What if I told you I could sprinkle a little magic? We’ll make sure you’re comfortable, and you’ll still have time for your stable activities when you’re done. Plus, there’s a team mince pie reward scheme this year.”
Rudolph’s ears perked up. “Mince pies, you say?”
“And” she added with a wink, “you’ll only need to work one night. The ultimate flexible contract!”
With that, Rudolph couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, alright. But if I pull this sleigh, I’m getting extra hay rations with lichen for a month.”
“Deal,” said the HR Fairy, sealing it with a flourish of her wand.
And so, Rudolph joined the team. As the sleigh soared into the night, his glowing nose lighting the way, he realised that sometimes, just sometimes, even a remote-working reindeer needs to step out of the stable.
The next morning, he returned home with a sense of accomplishment, a sack of mince pies, and a newfound appreciation for teamwork.
The HR Fairy, meanwhile, was back in her office, drafting policies for a Reindeer Flexible Benefits Scheme.
The moral of the story? Even the most reluctant of workers can find joy in their roles with the right support, a sprinkle of magic, and, of course, mince pies. 🎄
I am so pleased Kate put this together. She requested the Christmas Eve slot, though usually she is the penultimate post of the series. I was happy to give today’s slot to her and her post really made me smile.
As you might know I have views on remote and hybrid working. Kate touches on the core principle of what I’ve spent two books trying to explain, but in one blog post. She is right that people can be convinced that going onsite is the best thing, but they need persuasion, they need support, and they need things that tap into their basic needs. With those things in place, even the most rigid of mandates can be made to work.
If you have to go onsite for your work, what do you need?
Till next time…
Gary.
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