Being confined to the office for eight hours a day can definitely put a damper on everyone’s holiday mood. However, it doesn’t have to be that way! From offering festive food to running a charity toy drive, there are plenty of fun ways to bring your office crew together, boost morale, and get them into the holiday spirit.
Deck the Halls
Putting up Christmas decorations is one of the easiest and most effective ways to bring some holiday magic into the workplace. So get out the tinsel, pin-up the fairy lights, frost the windows, and get everyone involved in decorating the tree. If you have a small team, why not create a custom photo ornament for every employee!
Festive Food
Don’t worry – you don’t need to carve a turkey in the middle of the office. Some festive snacks will be equally appreciated. You could offer mince pies, pumpkin spiced lattes, or custom cakes and cookies. If your team is comprised of people across the globe, why not go potluck and ask everyone to bring in their own traditional treats!
Competitions
Holding a few themed contests will bring more fun and camaraderie into your office. For example, have an ugly holiday sweater competition, a holiday pie tasting, or award prizes for the most lavishly decorated desks. Whatever you decide, competitive events are a great way to break the ice and get your team members engaged.
Holiday Party
Whether it’s a black-tie event, a team lunch or just a couple of drinks at the bar, a holiday party is a must-have event in your calendar. It’s the perfect opportunity to round up the troops, celebrate successes, and let everyone relax and be treated to a fun time. Send your holiday party invites out early and get the date in the diaries!
Gift Exchange
Nothing gets people in the Christmas spirit quite like presents, but buying gifts for every employee can be time-consuming and expensive. ‘Secret Santa’ or ‘White Elephant’ gift exchanges are a great alternative and encourage coworkers to get to know one another. Let people opt-in or out and set a spending limit for each gift to keep it fun and relaxed.
Holiday & Christmas Cards
Even if you don’t buy a gift for every employee, it’s a nice touch to send everyone a handwritten Christmas card – to wish them a Happy Holidays and to thank them for their hard work. If you’re also sending cards to external contacts, why not make it a festive staff exercise – put on the Christmas music, stock up the snacks, and get everyone to help hand write each card.
Movie Marathon
Everyone loves a holiday movie. So during lunch or after work, set up a mini theater in your conference room and play favorite movie classics. It’s sure to put everyone in a good mood and hopefully enhance productivity for the rest of the day (or motivate your team to get work done before the screening starts).
Fundraisers
Holiday charity events not only help those in need but give you and your staff a sense of team spirit and generosity. You could hold a toy drive, volunteer at a food bank, or run your holiday sweater or baking contests in aid of a charity. The best way to organize this is to reach out to your chosen charity or organization and they will let you know how you can get involved and submit your donation at the end of your event. Some even have national events around the holidays that you can take part in along with other businesses.
Ask for Ideas
The best way to get staff involved in all of the above is to get their input! So ask them what type of holiday party they would like, hold a vote on movies to watch, and take suggestions for other festive activities. Equally, be sensitive to what they might not enjoy. For example, it’s better to give everyone a heads up before you blast out the holiday tunes or string flashing lights around peoples’ desks! Finally, be mindful that not everyone celebrates Christmas and try to recognize other holidays in December such as Hanukkah.
Just because it’s December, it doesn’t mean the workload slows down (in some industries, far from it!) But making an effort to have some festive fun in the office is a great way to build closer relationships within the team and make everyone feel appreciated. If you have any other ideas, add to the comments below!
Matilda is Marketing Manager in the International Team, bringing Zazzle to customers everywhere from Sydney to Stockholm.
For offices that have enough room for it, why not set up a holiday photo booth? Put a fun holiday backdrop. The workers can choose whether to take selfies, pictures of each other, or team shots.