It’s beginning to look a lot like … a week off. We hope your travels are safe and your Christmas is spent merrily with loved ones (it’ll be even merrier with the homemade eggnog recipe below). Happy holidays from all of us at business.com!

Giving Back: ‘Tis the season … and ‘tis smart business.

Psychologist: Why people resist change at the office.

Elf: Family is more important than any deadline.

(Source: Shutterstock)

With public demand for corporate social responsibility higher than ever, many businesses have placed a new emphasis on philanthropy, totaling $20 billion annually. Among the 1,000 biggest companies, unrestricted employee donation matching has increased by half over the past few years.

Giving back to the community isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s a smart business decision — and if your business has the ability to donate this holiday season (or give employees days off to volunteer), you might want to consider it. Here’s why:

• Charity boosts morale: Contributing to a cause that your employees care about will make them feel even better about working for you. More than 70% of workers agree it’s “imperative or very important.”
• You’ll attract talent: Likewise, deriving personal meaning from work and being a part of a positive culture are among the top reasons why millennials and zoomers will choose an employer. Charitable giving is undeniably positive!
• Customers feel more loyalty: 3 in 4 millennials will buy more from companies they view as socially conscious. Demonstrate your commitment with actions, not just words.
• Q4 is the easiest time to give: It might be difficult to make large donations at the beginning of the year — before you reach your annual goals and benchmarks — but December gives you perspective. Also, nonprofits’ fundraising efforts are in full swing now.
• Oh yeah, the tax deduction: We’d all rather focus on the selfless, karmic nature of giving, but as long as a qualifying donation is postmarked by December 31, your company can write it off.

(Source: Shutterstock)

Dr. Steven Rogelberg is Chancellor’s Professor at UNC Charlotte and former president of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology.

It’s time to reflect on the past year and look forward to what comes next … but not everybody is ready for change in 2023. Even when a new solution, approach, or idea is terrific, enacting change can lead to resistance from others. By better understanding why others might resist, we can more thoughtfully roll out changes.

The great work of Dr. Rosabeth Kanter provides insight into resistance forces and how to address them. Here are the main psychological obstacles to change, along with the best path forward for each.

Resistance force: It’s hard for them to give up control.

Path forward: Look for opportunities to involve this person in decisions that affect them.

Resistance force: They fear the unknown.

Path forward: When routines change, it can be disorienting. Communicate, communicate, communicate!

Resistance force: They’re overwhelmed.

Path forward: Signal change in advance and seek input. Change what must be changed, but thoughtfully pick your battles. Don’t just change something for the sake of changing it.

Resistance force: They created the status quo and feel hurt.

Path forward: Celebrate what can be honored from the past — and explain why this change is needed to pave the way for the future.

Resistance force: Self-doubt over thriving in a new environment.

Path forward: Help level up skills, provide mentors, and implement other support systems to help them ease into change.

Resistance force: Change is a lot of work.

Path forward: Recognize the effort required. Seek to eliminate unnecessary tasks. Provide additional perks to validate workers and make things easier.

Resistance force: They remember previous (failed) changes.

Path forward: Longtime employees might feel particularly skeptical of altering the playbook. Acknowledge their old wounds and lay out how these changes will be different given lessons learned.

(Source: New Line Cinema)

In the 2003 Christmas movie Elf, Buddy (Will Ferrell) leaves the North Pole to find his biological father, Walter Hobbs (James Caan). Unfortunately, Walter — an angry publishing exec — doesn’t care about his family, friends, or really anything except for money.

Buddy arrives in New York City, only to get thrown out of his dad’s office. After a DNA test proves they’re related, Walter agrees to let Buddy back into the workplace … until Buddy ruins an important meeting with bestselling children’s author Miles Finch (Peter Dinklage, pre-Game of Thrones). When Buddy runs away, Walter finally comes to his senses and joins his family to search for their lost member — even rallying enough Christmas spirit to fix Santa’s broken sleigh and save the holiday.

For those of us who are workaholics like Walter, Elf is a hilarious and gentle reminder that our jobs shouldn’t come before our loved ones, especially at this time of year. With the ability to work remotely, it can be difficult to unplug and go caroling instead — but as Buddy knows, “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!”

(Source: Shutterstock)

It’s just about Christmas, which means it’s time for a warm fire and some classic eggnog. Yes, we know it’s polarizing, but don’t just buy a carton from the store … make your own batch this year.

All you need to do is beat 8 eggs along with 4 cups of whole milk, 2 cups of cream, and 2/3 cup sugar. Some freshly grated nutmeg on top would be nice as well.

For the hard version, you’ll want to spike it with 12 to 16 oz. of spirits. (Bourbon, rum, brandy, it all works.) Sweet, creamy, and boozy … the perfect trio.

Written by Ali Saleh, Lauren Vino, and Aaron Goldfarb. Comic by John McNamee.