Modern companies know pretty well the benefits of bringing employees into the holiday spirit. Some companies, especially small ones, have scarce resources and are not able to afford the lavish holiday parties that their well-resourced counterparts often throw for their employees. But that doesn’t mean either small or big companies have the luxury to ignore the need for their employees to celebrate the holidays at work. Don’t you think you can find better ways to engage your employees during this forthcoming holiday? Read on for festive ways to celebrate the holiday with your employees.
Decorate Your Space
Decorating your space can be considered a simplistic, but the impact it will have on the morale of your employees can’t go without saying. Irrespective of where your employees work, encourage them to decorate their spaces. This way, they will be able to make their office spaces their own. Furthermore, it will brighten up the workplace, make the festivities unique, and encourage them to look forward to coming back to work.
Ugly Sweater Contest
Agree on a day in which employees will be able to sport their ugliest holiday attire. This type of contest involves allowing all your employees to dress down and show off their individuality. Make it more fun by ensuring they compete for valuable prices. Allow your employees to vote on who they consider is putting on the ugliest attire and after everything is done, crown the winner.
Do Good as a Team
Ugly sweater contest is a great way to create the right environment for healthy competition. Remember people love to compete. However, there are also people who love friendly competitions that help the community. Why not put together a competition at your workplace that appeals to the interest of this group as well? You can, for example, make canned food drives a fun activity for your employees. You challenge each and every department in your company to collect and bring different types of foods for your local food pantry and then ask them to build a Christmas tree. At the end of the day, crown the department that builds the largest tree as the winner.
Hold the Office Party During the Holiday
It’s great to hold an office party during this time, but you should be sure to keep it low-key and pretty casual. The party should be fun and less costly. If you wish, you can schedule and hold the party at a place and time that allows the involvement of your families.
Remember to limit alcohol consumption if your employees want alcohol to be availed. Some people don’t take alcohol. Allow them to take whatever drink they want. But this should not mean no one can consume alcohol in the party. For many reasons, however, ensure you limit the consumption of alcohol. When you do this, you are able to provide lots of activities. There can be many opportunities for adults and children alike to play games that they enjoy such as Wii games, card games, darts, pool tournaments, and shuffleboard to compete for small prizes.
Plan Holiday Party for Another Season
If you are concerned about the competition for employee time, investment, energy, or attention during the festivities, you can as well schedule for the party at a different time of the year. You can schedule the December holiday party in April or early January. Your company likely has events and associations in its history that you may love to celebrate with a party. Whether it is your company’s founding party or some of the major holidays, you don’t need to deny your employees the chance to celebrate for any reason.
During the December holiday season, venues are hard to find and are expensive. Drinks, foods, dresses, and decorations can be more ambitious and less casual. Find the most appropriate ways to ensure these things don’t make life hard for your employees.
Pick a Secret Santa Pal
Ask employees to submit the names of those among them who are interested in participating in this fun activity. Once they have done that, draw the name of one employee from that list. Arrange for a potluck lunch and hold the cost-limited gift exchange at that time. This is a way of planning a series of small gifts and surprises for employees. Surprises can be on employee desks, in their mailboxes, or be hanged on the restroom mirror. You can be more creative to be able to surprise the recipients much more.
The holiday season is an important moment to increase employee morale and engagement. Whether your employees celebrate by decorating their own space, engaging in contests, picking a secret Santa pal, or any other way, what’s important is that they have a happy and healthy holiday season. After doing all the things you think will make your employees happy, remember to thank them for their time. Giving thanks can make everyone, including those who were not impressed by the activities, happier and more productive.