Workplace Wellbeing: Santy sets a high standard as an employer 

Santa and his elves can teach us a lot about working under pressure and being energised by a common goal

A strong team culture and a shared vision help Santa get the best from his elves despite the adverse work conditions. Picture: iStock

ONE of the world’s busiest workplaces will come under extreme pressure in two days. Its thousands of employees will be asked to meet what seems like an impossible deadline. 

Yet, thanks to the legendary leadership of the man at the top, they will deliver just as they have done for centuries.

That man is Santa Claus - those employees are his elves and reindeer.

The elves have toiled at their workstations for months, building toys and reading letters from boys and girls all over the world. Their letters have to be checked against Santa’s records and filed accordingly. 

Good boys and girls are logged on the nice list and the not-so-good on the naughty one. Right now, Santa is checking those lists, not once, but twice, making sure nobody has been forgotten.

All of this toy building, letter reading, and list checking must be completed by Christmas Eve. 

That’s when the toys will be loaded onto Santa’s sleigh and he and his reindeer will take to the skies, flying around the world and ensuring children wake up to find longed-for toys under their Christmas tree.

At that point, the elves can treat themselves to a well-deserved rest before the entire process begins again in the new year.

The job of being an elf doesn’t read well on paper. They work in a remote place that is dark and cold most of the year. They are required to keep up a high work rate to meet a strict deadline. 

But despite these adverse work conditions, you never hear of an elf who wants to leave. What’s Santa’s secret? How does he keep his workers happy?

Chartered work and organisational psychologist Leisha McGrath thinks the elves’ job satisfaction stems from a shared vision.

“Many organisations are only now catching on to the importance of having a clear vision, but Santa has always known how crucial this is to building team culture and achieving goals,” she says. 

“The vision Santa and his elves share is so crystal clear that they all support each other in performing at 100%.”

According to executive coach Fiona Buckley, such a vision helps employees find purpose in their work. “Santa and his elves are united in a common purpose — making the world’s children happy at Christmas,” she says. 

“A sense of meaning is so important to us at work. It underpins our motivation. Knowing that your work contributes to the greater good is very powerful. It energises you to perform at your best.”

Diverse teamwork

Santa has also been ahead of the curve in understanding the value of teamwork. “Most of us enjoy the buzz of working and achieving things together,” says Buckley. 

“And you can see the team dynamics at play with the elves. They all depend on each other and can see that the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts.”

While teamwork is pivotal to the success of the elves in the workshop, Santa realises that it’s equally important to recognise the individual skills and strengths of his staff. 

“He makes sure everyone knows the role they have to play in the wider organisation and praises them for their contribution,” says McGrath.

“Take Rudolph. His diversity was celebrated and look where it landed him. He and his red nose are now the stars of the show, and rightly so. Teamwork is not about any one player but everyone being supported to play to their strengths.”

If there’s one thing we should all learn from Santa and his elves, it’s how to manage stress when working up to a big deadline.

The key to this is knowing your team, says Buckley. “Some people thrive on deadlines while others get stressed by them. A good manager will support people accordingly.”

McGrath says that insisting on a slow-and-steady approach from those who thrive under pressure will irritate them, and they may underperform as a result. 

The converse is true too: imposing a deadline on those who prefer to make progress step by step may put them under too much pressure and reduce their productivity.

“Santa sets his workload according to his elves’ preferences,” says McGrath. “Some love deadlines and flourish on Christmas Eve, while others are encouraged to see Christmas Eve as just one final step to achieving their goal.”

Santa takes other steps to minimise work stress. “He marks small wins each day in the lead-up to the big event to give momentum and pace,” says Buckley. 

“He builds in a contingency so that if any of his toy machines break down, there’s always plan B.

“He makes sure nobody ever loses sight of the overall vision while also breaking down the overall project into manageable chunks. Elves focus on producing and packaging one toy, tick that off the list and move on to the next. Santa keeps an eye on their wellbeing and makes sure they are feeling well as they do so.”

Santa does not aim for a stress-free environment. “A certain degree of stress is good for us,” says McGrath. 

“We need it for adrenaline to run and our minds to focus. It’s when stress goes beyond this that it becomes detrimental. Santa and his elves know this well and try to keep stress in check using their strong team culture of support and allowing for plenty of breaks and rest along the way.”

Knowing when to replenish

The predictability of their schedule also helps. “They know that Christmas is coming, just like accountants know that the end-of-year tax accounts are due,” says Buckley. 

“They have a contingency plan for this. They know they should factor in rest and recovery afterwards. That’s what we should all do. We need to replenish and decompress whenever we complete a big project.”

We can all handle bursts of activity but can’t sustain it over the long term, says McGrath. 

“Santa’s whole system is designed around one huge burst, but he knows that while we can all run to a high level for a time, no elf or human can keep going at that rate indefinitely. Otherwise, burnout occurs. So, once the elves finish on Christmas Eve, he celebrates their success. Then everyone gets a chance to rest and when they’re ready, they begin again.”

In many ways, Santa appears to be the ideal leader. He’s committed to his vision and inspires similar commitment in his employees. He’s approachable and always seems to be in good cheer. He tries to make his workplace fun by encouraging singing and games.

The only thing Buckley worries about is that he may not be moving quickly enough with the times. 

“The younger generation has different expectations and motivators,” she says. “We know they want more flexibility, so Santa needs to consider how he rewards and retains his elves into the future.”

But Santa is an employer who has had stellar retention rates at his workshop for centuries. If any team can safely say they have discovered the secret to job satisfaction and mastered the art of balancing work with life, it’s Santa and his elves.