This year has absolutely flown by! It's hard to believe that Christmas is upon us - again.
And during the festive season, it's a great time to stop, take stock and reflect on how the year has gone (good and bad).
It's also the perfect time to say a big "thank you" to your employees for their hard work this year.
Have you planned any festivities yet?
Whether you’re a HUGE Christmas lover or prefer slightly more subtle festive celebrations, we’ve got some great inspiration for you…
1. Christmas Jumper Day.
Get into the festive mood and raise money for a great cause!
Click here for more details on how to get involved.
2. Christmas Tie Day!
Would you prefer to do something a little different and slightly more subtle? Why not host a Christmas Tie Day instead?!
3. Fancy Dress Day!
Or go the whole hog and invite your team members to dress up as their favourite Christmas characters (elves, reindeer, Santa)!
4. Volunteer for a day.
Loads of charities are looking for volunteers over Christmas. What a wonderful way to boost team morale and do something great.
5. Deck your halls.
You’d be surprised how much a few bits of tinsel here and a couple of baubles there can really pick up the atmosphere and get staff feeling excited about the holidays!
6. Host an end-of-year award ceremony.
What better way to reward staff, than to actually award staff.
You don’t have to take your award ceremony too seriously; it’s a good idea to incorporate the usuals like “employee of the year” and “best team” but also mix in some funnies like…
- Sharpest dresser.
- Cheekiest sales tactics.
- Best phone voice.
Just have fun!
7. Secret Santa.
Secret Santa is an amazing way to bring your employees, across different teams, together.
"Elfster" is a great little online tool that'll help you organise everything.
8. Let employees leave early!
Offering your employees the chance to go off on their Christmas holiday a little early if they hit an (achievable) target is a great incentive to work hard in December!
Recruiter Pro Tip I’d highly recommend that you extend this incentive to all of your employees and not just your sales team. You don’t want other employees to feel that the salespeople are being favoured.
Does the office need to be open until Christmas Eve?
9. Christmas Come Dine With Me.
Write down Christmassy foods on little bits of paper – sprouts, pigs in blankets, stuffing, turkey, mince pies, Christmas pudding; the works – and then get your team to pick them out of a hat.
Whoever brings in the tastiest dish wins.
10. Or The Great Christmas Bake Off.
Celebrate the nation’s favourite and have a huge Bake Off or even Bake Sale.
11. Don’t forget to send Christmas cards.
A personalised and genuine card, expressing gratitude and thanks can go an awfully long way. (Emphasis on personalised!)
12. Christmas carols.
You could have a wander around your office building, singing to the other teams or the other businesses or you could go out after work one evening and make it a charitable event…
13. Go to a pantomime!
There’s nothing better than a bit of audience participation (and a barrel of innuendos) to put everyone in a festive mood.
14. Host a Christmas Pub Quiz!
You could go the extra mile and put on a festive pub quiz at the office or at a hired venue (if you’ve got a little extra in your Christmas budget).
Ask questions related to all things Christmas!
15. Christmas party.
Pretty self-explanatory.
16. Christmas wrapping competition.
Christmas wrapping can be a bit of a chore, so why not make it a fun event by hosting a Christmas wrapping competition. (Best or quickest wrapper, wins).
17. Crack open the bubbly.
Simple, yet effective, champagne is a great way to say ‘congrats’ and ‘thank you’ to your extra special employees.
18. Pizza Party!
Want to treat your staff to a nice meal, but can’t afford to take them all out? Why not order pizza to the office? You can get all sorts of deals, these days (especially around Christmas).
19. Christmas coffee.
Why not get a round of Christmas coffees in for everyone? (They have all sorts of caramel, cinnamon, honeycomb concoctions at this time of year.)
20. Buy in breakfast.
There’s nothing nicer on a cold (and wet) day than getting treated to a big, warm breakfast sandwich, from the local greasy spoon.
21. Watch a Christmas film.
Who doesn’t like a good old Christmas film, especially accompanied by a festive beverage?
If you’ve got the resources (IE. a projector or TV) then it’s a nice and easy way to get your office into the Christmas spirit.
22. Visit Santa.
Or bring Santa into the office (I’m sure one of your staff members will oblige). A bit of (dead cheesy) fun to bring back good old childhood memories.
23. Pyjama Day.
Who wouldn’t want to rock up in their comfies and slippers instead of suit and tie for the day?
24. SNOW DAY!
This one obviously depends on the weather… but if it does snow this year, why not let your staff go home early? Or work from home for the day (if that’s an option)?
It can be an absolute nightmare to commute in snowy conditions!
25. Christmas karaoke.
Someone must have a karaoke machine (or similar video game)… and if not, get googling your nearest singing hot spot.
26. Christmas shopping day.
Surprise staff members with an extra mid-week afternoon off to get some of those much-needed Christmas errands done.
27. Go to the pub.
A nice, warm welcoming pub is always a good shout. Most will be blasting the Christmas tunes.
28. Buy everyone Christmas calendars.
So simple, but so Christmassy.
29. Do a Christmas competition.
Offer employees the chance to win a Christmas hamper!
30. Supermarket Vouchers!
This may not sound like a big deal, but Christmas is such an expensive time of the year, giving a little towards the big Christmas supermarket shop will go a long way.
31. Cash.
You can’t argue with cold, hard, cash.
32. Bingo.
Outdated and cheesy but great for a good (relaxed) giggle.
33. Make a Christmas movie.
A few companies offer events where you get to create your own team video/music video. Cringe-worthy but fun.
34. Visit the Christmas Markets!
If you’re lucky enough to live in a town with the German markets (I love them) then get your staff out there and buy them a bloomin’ pint. Soak up the atmosphere.
35. Go for a Christmas Meal.
If parties aren’t really your thing, why not take your team out for a Christmas meal? Some places will do buffets if your budget won’t stretch to fine dining!
36. Board Game Day.
From Snakes and Ladders to Monopoly, get everyone to bring in their favourite board game and host some tournaments (alcohol optional).
37. Winter gifts.
Get your employees some fun gifts to get them through the winter…
- Antifreeze.
- Ice grippers.
- Warm gloves.
Fun and helpful!
38. Go ice skating.
Ice rinks pop up out of nowhere during the festive season, so if you've got a particularly well-balanced (and brave) team, why not have a go? Some venues even let you hire the whole place out!
It's definitely something a bit different!
39. Play Christmas music!
A simple but very effective way to boost morale in the office.
40. Just say thanks.
Sometimes all it takes is a thank you, a handshake and/or a pat on the back.
Feeling festive?
Hope we've given you some nice inspiration for how to get a little bit festive in your office this year.
Have some fun (and be a bit silly)!
Recruiter Pro Tip It’s really important to engage staff throughout the year, but during the winter months, it can be tricky. The grim and cold weather can make it difficult to motivate and inspire (especially when everyone is just waiting for the Christmas holiday to begin). Here are some great resources to help you out...
- Employee Engagement - it's more than just Christmas hats and turkey baps.
- 80 Unique and Quirky Corporate Event Ideas
- How to keep your staff motivated during the Christmas period.
- 50 Fun Ways to Say Thank You to Your Staff
- Tips to keep staff motivated over the upcoming Christmas period
Above all else - have fun!
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Good luck!
