Recruitment and HR Blog
5 ways you can rescue the office Christmas party this year
23rd November 2020
Whether you’re one for embracing the festivities, or perhaps you’re a Scrooge when it comes to this time of year, there’s no denying that we all deserve some well-earned fun after the challenges that 2020 has brought for many of us.
Our usual forms of Christmas celebrations will not be the norm this year, due to the ongoing threat of the Covid-19 pandemic, which means the traditional office Christmas party is off the agenda for many of us. But what can you do as an employer to extend some Christmas cheer to your employees?
Below, we have rounded up some ideas to help you raise the morale and show your team just how much you value them…
1. Postal Secret Santa
If an office Secret Santa is something you have always done, it can still be possible this year, but by post instead of in person. There are many online sweep stakes you can use to distribute names fairly, and this can even be done on a video call so you can still share in the excitement and see other people’s reactions when they are given a name.
Set a date for when the team should send their secret Santa gift by post so that everyone can expect to receive their gift at around the same time, and that way, you can organise a date for an unwrapping party via a team video call.
2. Virtual Social Events
And on the note of team video calls, why stop there? Think about the usual events you would host in an office in the run up to Christmas, and whether they can be replicated virtually.
Some ideas could include:
- A Christmas bake off
- A cheese and wine night
- A Christmas fancy dress or Christmas jumper day
- A Christmas quiz / games night
- A Christmas dinner, where everyone would be required to cook their own meal but you all eat and celebrate together.
3. Best Dressed Christmas Office
Ask your employees to decorate their home office and judge the best. Some festive lights and a Christmas tree can go a long way to lift the spirits of your team who may all be working remotely until the New Year, so there are plenty of benefits to this.
However, it is important not to force your employees to join in. Make sure they are aware that it is optional, and if they choose not to join in, they can still take part in selecting the winner.
4. Christmas Karaoke
Plenty of us will know the words to traditional Christmas carols or our favourite Christmas songs, so why not host a Christmas themed Karaoke session?
Employees who want to can join in with the singing, and you can queue up video playlists on YouTube to make sure the event goes off without a hitch – you could also pause the video, hide the screen, and challenge participants to sing the next lines without help, or guess the song!
5. Virtual Awards
Now more than ever your employees need to be recognised for their hard work and determination. Think about hosting an awards ceremony virtually to take place one night through the week, where awards are handed out to employees / teams to celebrate the highlights of the year.
Even if it’s a trip down memory lane to Q1 of 2020 before the pandemic hit, or perhaps you want to take the opportunity to recognise the determined efforts of team members to drive through the challenges since then, letting your employees know that their hard work has been recognised and rewarded will go a long way in boosting morale, and is a nice way to end the working year.
Raising Morale for Employees at Christmas
It’s always extremely important to make sure your employees are valued, and it would be all too easy to cross off Christmas this year due to the restrictions we are currently battling against.
However, it’s guaranteed that your employees will certainly appreciate the extra effort you go to this year in spreading some festive cheer, and showing them that you do truly appreciate their efforts, especially at the end of a year that has been so challenging.
So, be creative, get your thinking caps on and most of all…have fun!
And don't forget...
Make sure to get some pictures and screenshots of your Christmas party and share them on your social media channels. The festivities are all about showing appreciation to your employees, but sharing such moments on social media is a great way to promote your employer brand and show your potential employees what it's like to work at your company and how you look after your people.
Here at JVP Group, we’re passionate about supporting businesses to utilise employer brand marketing to help attract quality talent - if you'd like to learn more, click here - alternatively you can call us on 01745 774 955, or schedule a 20 minute free recruitment strategy review consultation call here: https://www.jvpgroup.co.uk/consultation
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