The holiday season can be tough for some companies as employees start to mentally check out shortly after Halloween. So, how can you keep employees engaged and dedicated during these last few weeks of the year? The answer is simple, have FUN. Rewarding employees with fun holiday activities makes them grateful and enthusiastic about their jobs and your company. To help you come up with some fun ideas, we put together this list of 5 fun holiday activities for the workplace.
1. Thanksgiving Potluck
One of the biggest reasons why people LOVE the holidays is because of food. There’s something about cooking and sharing a meal with your family and friends that makes you feel warm and cozy inside. To make sure your employees will have a full meal at your Thanksgiving potluck, see if your company can sponsor the bigger items like turkey or ham and have your employees bring any side of their choice. A good way to get your Thanksgiving potluck going is by posting a signup list in your office or break room for everyone to fill out what they would like to bring- whether it’s a side dish, dessert or drinks. Start this list a few weeks prior to the potluck, giving everyone enough time to figure out what they’re going to make. It might also be a good idea to accept that nobody will be doing work after the potluck due to food comas.
2. White Elephant/Secret Santa
Gift giving is always a great part of the holidays, but it sure can get expensive. For a less expensive (but still fun) way to give gifts in the workplace, try starting a white elephant or secret santa. If you want to go all out, you can set up a white elephant for your employees. Have one staff member go out and gather a lot of cool gifts like iPads, gift cards or cameras and use those as white elephant gifts. If your company normally gives out bonuses at the end of the year, this could be a fun way to reward employees instead of the normal bonus.
3. Holiday Party
Who doesn’t love a good party? Get creative and set up different activities at your holiday party that your employees can have fun with and bond. For example, a photo booth could not only give employees a fun experience but a keepsake as well. You could also liven up your holiday party with a fun theme like wearing a tacky holiday sweater that everyone can get involved in.
4. Holiday Video/Photo
A great way to have fun and thank your customers/clients at the same time is through some sort of holiday video or photo. You could have a ton of fun creating a holiday video like this one. This may take a day out of everyone’s schedule but it’s a fun break to have during the holiday season and your customers/clients are sure to enjoy your final masterpiece.
5. Helping Those Less Fortunate
Volunteering has been scientifically proven to increase life satisfaction and well-being. The holiday season is the perfect time to give back and there are tons of opportunities available for your company to get involved. Here are a few ways you can give to those less fortunate:
- If there’s a clothing drive going on in your city, ask employees to bring in clothing donations.
- Sponsor a family and have your employees go shopping to get all of the things on the family’s holiday wish list.
- Volunteer at a food kitchen. Take an entire day, shuttle employees to the nearest food kitchen and help serve food for a day. This is a great way for your team to work together to help others.
- Pick a charity and have your employees raise funds for a monetary donation. If you’re feeling extra generous, offer to have the company match the donation that employees raise.
So, there you have it! Our list of 5 fun holiday activities for the workplace. Do you have an idea that isn’t on our list? We’d love to hear it in the comments.
Happy holidays!