Winter holidays can create stronger employee relationships
Holiday parties for your company are terrific ways to get to know people better and forge tighter and more loyal relationships and a way to get to know each other better. They can also be a nightmare and force people to make bad opinions and poor memories about people in the company. If past parties have been great get-togethers or left something to be desired, think about what you have done that influenced that outcome. Whether the holiday party is successful or not has a lot to do with how you, as a business manager, set it up.
1. Venue is important. Pick a place for the party that is appropriate for your group. If your staff is of similar backgrounds and similar affluence, a home party can be a great setting especially if your home has a common area such as a family room melded with a kitchen. Such a broad recreational area allows people to flow from food areas to chatting areas and to game areas while not dividing into small clicks that don’t associate with each other. It is always best to have a setting where people can mingle throughout the entire crowd. The setting should be
festive and decorated with warmth and holiday cheer.
2. Party can include an after-dinner activity. A favorite restaurant everyone likes and has a great atmosphere for any occasion might just the right venue. Considering neutral ground for your party venue may avoid discomfort and or embarrassment. By using a restaurant, for example, no one is left with a burden of decorating or other expenses, and no one is left with the clean-up labor. Some possibilities include common theme restaurants such as jungles, western, or sports themes. Another idea might include a gaming venue that serves food where the group can eat and them roam through the electronic games. Another might be a mall restaurant and include a gift card for a little after-dinner shopping for Christmas, courtesy of the company.
3. Include spouses and guests. There are a whole host of reasons why spouses and singles’ guests should be invited. Primarily, inviting them allows a better feeling of inclusion and camaraderie. It displays an interest in people as people and not just employees. Holidays are family times and such times need to be shared. Additionally, including spouses and guess doubles the chances for greater friendships to develop.
4. Food and beverage selection is key to success. Alcoholic beverages can be available to loosen the atmosphere but most often there will be at least a couple of people who have their behaviors a little too loosened. Instead of developing a memorable occasion that brings smiles to faces in months ahead, an overly tipsy guest can create situations where his or her unfiltered behavior can be offensive. Even bosses don’t always realize the inflammatory nature of too much alcohol at a party and can easily say and do regrettable things. Watching a boss hitting on the new secretary, for example, can turn a great occasion for a get-together into an extremely uncomfortable experience for many.
One idea to help ward off any chance for a manager or employee to embarrass himself would be to send a mass email out to managers reminding them of their role as leaders. Employees will be looking to them as an example, even in a social setting. In any event, with enough activities planned alcohol would not be, and should never be, the main focus of the party—just part of the experience.
5. Keep religion in moderation. Holiday parties are not really a great time to preach your version of the gospel. It is a safe bet that your employees understand the true meaning of Christmas or Hanukah or whatever festival they celebrate at the end of the year. Unless your company is religion-based, you could very easily push your beliefs to an uncomfortable level for others. Any level of discomfort is not a good ingredient for a successful party. Good, neutral, seasonal décor such as Santas, reindeer, skaters, skiers, snowmen and the like helps take off the edge for people who are more comfortable in neutral surroundings. Remember, this get-together is about helping people be themselves while being comfortable with each other.
6. Entertainment is important. For the home setting, games, interesting food, music, and a flaming fireplace, are all ingredients to good entertainment. The best parties are ones that keep the guests busy and interested but not necessarily captivated into structured activities. All activities should include equally spouses and guests. At holiday time people sometimes just need to hang out and relax just as often as entertained and energized. Put some thought into the introverted/extroverted and competitive/non-competitive nature of your guest list. Try to provide something for everyone.
7. The economy may influence your choices. Some company holiday traditions can become expensive over the years. As with families on a budget, it is not always possible to afford to do the same things every year. One local employer had a different plan in a downturn year. He took his staff out for a very nice lunch at a restaurant near a mall. It was half of the day’s work (so everyone was getting paid) and the Christmas bonus was a $50.00 gift card usable anywhere in the mall. It was a generous and much appreciated gift but the total expenses were much less than the expenses for the year before. Be creative and you may end up with something different and special without being expensive.
Have fun!
The success of a holiday party is dependent on controlling the variables. Wonderful bonds and relationships that improve working relationships far into the future develop in such successful events.
