The holiday season is like a magnifying glass that enlarges both the best and the worst in us. This time of year induces joy, caring, and generosity, but it can also magnify stress, anxiety, and heighten conflict at home and in the office.

The holidays can be stressful. You see it in people around you. Negative Nick came to the office holiday party but he’s pouting, sitting alone under the mistletoe. Stressed-out Susan from the finance department is worrying about pleasing her five kids who want the latest and greatest gadgets, and don’t understand the word “recession.” Holiday stress extends into the workplace, which can instigate conflict.

The good news is that holiday bliss is in your control. To ensure a peaceful holiday spirit at your workplace, follow these tips and put the kibosh on conflict.

Align goals

Let’s say you’re decorating your house for the holiday. While you are going for fun and gaudy, your significant other is shooting for classy and elegant. During the decorating process, you find you’re butting heads on every front. What happened?

When initiating any project, it’s important for your entire project team to understand and agree on the end goal. Before kicking off a project, get your project team together to create a project agreement to develop a general outline of who is going to do what, when, and the goals to accomplish.

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