Holiday headaches

Peace on earth? Not in HR, where religious differences, the end-of-the-year paperwork crunch, and the pressures of holiday commerce collide. If your idea of coping is extra-strength eggnog, here's a shot

Ah, the holidays. Peace on earth, good will towards men. A time to gather with friends and families and rejoice in each other's company. A time to celebrate the end of a long year, and the beginning of a new one. A time of great religious significance for Christians, Jews, and other religious groups. * A time when the HR Department should ask for hazard pay. * If you're working in a retail business, you're moving at break-neck speed to hire holiday help, while figuring out how to keep the employees who need a little shopping time happy. Or maybe, if you're in an office, you're dealing with a Jewish employee who's a little put off by the company's "Christmas party" and a non-religious employee who's upset about the vast amounts of religious decorations in the office down the hall. * And you're probably asking yourself, "Is it just me, or does absolutely no one want to be here?" While some problems seem to be universal, no two companies seem to have the exact same set of issues in December. Below, we look at three dissimilar companies--Marmaxx, ADP, and Jellyvision--to see what vexes HR departments at this time of year, and how they overcome the holiday headaches.