Beyond Christmas: Managing the Holidays on Global Teams | Episode 24

This podcast is sponsored by Supportman, which connects Intercom to Slack and uses AI to give agents feedback and surface problems in real time.

The holidays don’t look the same for everyone. Some teams shut down for a week, while support teams have to keep the queue moving. On global teams, there are even more calendars to juggle, and not everyone experiences this season as joyful.

In this episode, Jen talks with Kathy Fava, an experienced support leader with practical ideas for navigating December. They cover how to ask your team what they actually observe, offer flexible schedules without dropping coverage, watch for burnout (including your own), and give back with no budget at all. They also explore how to approach holidays like Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Yule, Las Posadas, Blue Christmas, and more with curiosity and respect.

Highlights from our conversation:

✔️ Start with conversations: ask what holidays your team observes and what support they need
 ✔️ Offer flexibility without breaking coverage through opt-in shifts, swaps, and comp time
 ✔️ Watch for burnout, including your own, and rebalance workloads with quick 1:1s
 ✔️ Give back without a budget: handwritten notes, opt-out cards, or flexible schedules
 ✔️ Be mindful of holiday grief: skip mandatory fun and offer simple recognition instead

Whether you’re planning shifts over Christmas week, balancing cultural inclusion, or figuring out how to show gratitude without a budget, this episode is a timely guide for support and CX leaders.

Resources:

🤝 Connect with Kathleen (Kathy) Fava on LinkedIn
📬 Get weekly tactical CX and Support Ops tips in our Support Leaders Newsletter
🎙 Listen to more episodes of Live Chat with Jen Weaver 

Sponsors:
🔧 Learn more about Supportman 

Keep in Touch:
💼 Connect with Jen Weaver on LinkedIn
📺 Subscribe for more CX leadership insights on YouTube