Everyone is looking at budgets. Everyone is trying to stay in business. And when you look at places to cut budgets and save, the holiday party is usually first on the list to go.
Bad decision. Very Bad Decision.
Last I was told the purpose of a holiday party is to show thanks, celebrate successes and bring people together to increase morale and employee engagement.
I don’t care how tight your budgets are………..if you’re still in business these days you have a lot to be thankful for and a lot of successes to celebrate. Now more than ever is when you need to bring people together. Any sane employee understands that we are in tough times and will understand that perhaps the company party might not look like it used to; but below are some great ideas to at least get you thinking about what it can look like:
- How about a pot luck?
- How about a Happy Hour – without alcohol; hire a local clown or magician to come in and do their thing for an hour. It will make your people happy.
- Go ice skating, sledding or roller skating – depending on the climate where you live
- Hold smaller departmental celebrations; perhaps holiday breakfast at a local coffee shop or eatery
- Take the gang down to a local shelter, food bank or convalescent home and do some service
- Open your home for some good ole fashion camaraderie
- Own a vacation home and you supervise a small department? Give each person in your group a weekend away.
- Check out 50 Ways To Have Fun At Work. Use one of those ideas and tweak them into a holiday celebration that says thanks.
- Host an awards ceremony i.e. The Santa Claus Award for the person who can satisfy so many co-workers or customers the fastest. Or The Dreidel Award for the person whose words and rhetoric get people’s heads all dizzy. I think you get the point. Have fun with it.
- Take a Recess and have some fun. Check out Recess At Work Day for ideas – and start practicing now for June 17, 2010.
- Cookies and milk? People seem to be baking this time of year. How about a week of smaller celebrations? Designate 3:00 PM for cookies and milk for a week and just talk and laugh. Share funny family holiday stories.
Well those are some things to get you thinking. Yes, it’s tough out there. Really tough. Don’t you think the people you work alongside or supervise deserve some sort of a break. And don’t you as an employee or employer want a stronger and more engaged team? It won’t get any cheaper than this!
And who is going to organize this? You know who in the department would be the perfect person. Go ask them right now.