Beating the Holiday Blues at Your Brewery

While the holidays have a reputation as “the most wonderful time of the year,” it’s not news that this can be a difficult time — a season when depression spikes and the holiday blues become commonplace. That has a double meaning for your brewery team.

On the one hand, it’s important for your staff to know how to identify guests who have had too much to drink — drinking is, after all, a common method for dealing with the holiday blues.

But it’s also a good idea for brewery management to remind workers how they can manage their own holiday-related stress.

“Stress is one of the most common reasons for employee absence,” points out Kristian Beall, AAI, of Beall Brewery Insurance. “And on the job, stressed-out employees can be at greater risk of making mistakes that could hurt the bottom line — or, worst case scenario, hurt themselves or the people around them.”
These tips are a great starting place for your brewer to manage these holiday-related risks.

Keeping an Eye on Safety
“Step one in preventing customers from overindulging is reviewing your brewery policies and procedures with staff to ensure everyone understand the seriousness of the issue, and how to avoid it,” says Richard Beall, principal of Beall Brewery Insurance, which works with craft breweries across the country.

“Step two is providing them with the training to identify, assist, and stop patrons who have had too much to drink.” LEAD or TIPS training could be just the tool you’re looking for.

In your staff meetings, be sure you cover this topic – and dive deep, inviting employees to share their experiences and top tips for cutting off someone who’s had too much to drink, asking someone to leave the brewery, or encouraging customers who have overindulged to use a taxi or ride service rather than getting behind the wheel.

“While you’re on the subject, we recommend reviewing how the brewery documents incidents involving patrons who have had too much to drink,” adds Kristian Beall. “Your top goal is to keep everyone safe, of course – but you also have a priority to protect the brewery.

“Preventing liquor liability issues is an excellent way to do that.”

Beating the Holiday Blues
When it comes to your employees’ demeanor over the holidays, you may want to dedicate a special staff meeting to the stressors of the season, and how to deal with them. Some of the topics you’ll want to talk about:

• Employees should be aware of their stress levels. What causes stress levels to rise? What can individuals do to manage those stressors?
• What are some suggested ways to deal with stress? Ask each employee to brainstorm a list of 3-5 healthy ways to manage stress. Some ideas include breathing exercises, going for a walk, and visualization exercises.
• What if the big stressor is the workload itself? Days can be long and hectic in a brewery, especially if customer demand is high — as it is likely to be during the holiday season. Simple techniques like making a list of what needs to be done, or taking a few minutes to prioritize the day’s activities, can be a big help. What else can your team do to try to reduce job-related stress?
• Remind your team that, the busier their schedule is, the more important it becomes to maintain healthy practices, such as getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, getting enough exercise, and eating healthfully.

Keep a close eye on your staff this holiday season, and be prepared with stress-reducing ideas and activities to help your workers relax—and help them stay healthy and productive. With a healthy, happy team on the job, helping customers enjoy themselves safely, you have a great shot at beating the holiday blues.