Christmas is the time for giving, so to avoid being a Scrooge this festive season, here are a few ways to show your employees you care:
1. Go See a Broadway Show
If you work in a relatively small office, treating your fellow employees to a group outing to your nearest Broadway Theatre is a great choice. Just visit sites like www.ticketsales.com for great options like White Christmas the Musical, a festive favorite for many.
2. Exchange Gifts
Host a gift-exchange or ‘secret Santa‘ so that everyone gets to give and receive a gift. Make sure everyone picks a name out of a hat, set the budget and have a Christmas Tree set up to leave gifts underneath.
3. Christmas Sweater Day
If you want to encourage people to get into the Christmas spirit, slacken the uniform rules for the last week or day of work to let people wear their best (ugliest) Christmas sweaters.
4. Christmas Bonus
Everyone works hard all year round, but Christmas makes a great opportunity to give out bonuses, especially as it’s the time of year when many people struggle more financially.
5. Have a Christmas Party
A great way to celebrate is with a Christmas party, so that everyone can enjoy a glass of Prosecco or egg nog, and a mince pie together. Put on some music for them to groove to as well; you could call a Dj for hire if you really want to splurge and see that they have a good time. And if you want to take it a step further, you could distribute baggies with Christmas goodies.
6. Breakfast Buffet
Coming into the office on a cold, dark morning to be greeted with food is certainly a great way to perk everyone up. Buying breakfast for everyone is a treat that will be much appreciated.
7. Coffee Hour
Sometimes it takes several cups of good coffee to make it through the late nights, so treating everyone to a coffee, or their preferred hot drink, will put smiles on faces.
8. Christmas Dinner
Picking out a date for a reservation for Christmas dinner is a great idea, to spend valuable time with your employees outside of the busy office hours. Sitting down together for a meal is something everyone can enjoy.
9. Leave Work Early
If it’s the last day, letting everyone finish early will end the day on a positive note. Much like the feeling of leaving school early on the last day, finishing up a workday earlier than normal is a great feeling.
10. Volunteer
Swapping a regular workday with a chance to volunteer can warm everyone’s hearts. You and your employees can feel the positivity of giving to others; a brilliant use of teamwork.
11. Food Swap
Encourage your employees to bring in home-made festive foods, so that everyone can get a taste of different kinds of festive favorites. Everyone has their own ideas about what makes the perfect meal and bringing in homemade goodies gives people the chance to share their favorite foods and try something new.
12. Not Just Christmas
Whilst this list primarily mentions Christmas activities, not everybody celebrates Christmas. There are other important holidays to remember and celebrate during the festive season, so give appreciation to your employees who celebrate Hanukkah and Kwanzaa too!
Showing your employees that you care this holiday season keeps everyone in high spirits, including you. Getting all the work done and completed is important, but it’s also important to spread compassion too.