CHIEF OF STAFF FIVE: It’s that wonderful time of the year! Christmas is fast approaching and you can definitely feel it wherever you go. As Covid-19 restrictions continue to ease and employees return to on-site work, social gatherings such as office Christmas parties stir excitement among workers.
Christmas parties are opportunities to have fun with your colleagues and forget about work. If you are reading this, then maybe you were assigned to organise the party and are probably thinking about making it meaningful and fun.
We have your back with these five ways to level up your company’s Christmas party, physically or virtually.
1. Look for a venue outside the office
Companies usually opt to make their offices the venue for Christmas parties and other gatherings. It is understandable because it can reduce the cost of organising the party and is convenient for the employees. However, it won’t hurt to hold it in a different place this time, especially if it’s the organisation’s first time holding a gathering post-pandemic.
Aside from traditional event spaces such as hotels and conference rooms, companies can have their party in areas with activities designated for team-building. Examples of these are places with escape rooms, resorts with play areas, and big karaoke rooms. The experience of new and fun things together will strengthen the bond between employees and make them happy.
Food is also one way to determine the success of essentially every party. You can create a poll to see what employees like or add new dishes.
2. Set up a photo booth
Everybody loves taking pictures. It creates memories that you can look at after the party. For an on-site or hybrid party, setting up a photo booth in the venue would be a great idea. Printed copies of the photos, as well as the soft copies, should be available to make it extra.
For an online celebration, the organisers could create virtual Christmas-themed backgrounds that employees can choose from to snap photos. This may encourage employees to wear costumes, hats, and other props to make it more fun.
3. Prepare games that everyone would enjoy
Instead of preparing games that no one knows how to play, why not ask employees what games they would like to play at the Christmas party?
Some ideas include virtual bingo, holiday-themed scavenger hunt, trivia game, and talent competition. All of these can be done on-site, online, or both.
4. Give away cash and other prizes
Games with prizes are exciting, but games with cash prizes take employee participation to a different level. Either way, you don’t have to splurge if you’re on a budget. Try thinking of gifts that are both novel and useful.
But if you’re not afraid to spend, then giving away hefty amounts of cash prizes for games or raffles will surely be a great deal. Other options include an all-expense paid travel or staycation and brand-new gadgets.
Since we’re already talking about prizes, the Christmas party is also an opportune time to give employee recognition. Give awards and incentives to high-performing teams and workers such as plaques, bonuses in cash, and extra leave credits.
5. Give love to the less fortunate
Another way to level up your company’s Christmas party is to make it an event that would benefit others, particularly the less fortunate. You can choose your beneficiaries based on your company values and objectives and encourage employees to participate by donating in-kind or cash.
Alternatively, you can also let employees decide whom they want to help, whether it be the poor, homeless families, orphans, the elderly, or animal shelters, among others. You can also group employees into teams if you want to help more than one group.
Making the holiday season about giving is a sure way to fill employees’ hearts.
