Party Planning – 5 Tips For Throwing An Office Christmas Party Your Employees Will Enjoy
There are so many ways for an office Christmas party to go wrong. If you don’t want half your staff skulking in corners waiting for it to be an acceptable time to go home while the rest of them get drunk and do things everyone will regret the next day, then read on to learn the five best strategies for organizing a stellar event:
1. Make your preparations early
Consult with your staff and get a date locked in early so you can scout a venue and get it booked as soon as possible. Ensure you have your catering sorted early as well, and invest in some high-quality branded corporate gifts. Rewarding your staff with useful presents that feature your company’s logo is a wonderful way to create a sense of connection at your office Christmas party. By getting these and all the other logistics taken care of early, you give yourself breathing room if anything turns pear-shaped and make it more likely that everything will go smoothly on the day.
2. Have a theme
To help everyone get into the spirit and prevent the party from feeling like another day at work, get creative and come up with a theme that can inform your decór and inspire costumes. To ensure people don’t feel forced into something, get your employees involved in selecting the
theme. To help out those who aren’t big on creating costumes, invest in a few simple things like Santa hats, reindeer antlers and elf ears that they can throw on to join in the fun.
3. Be thoughtful with your menu
To ensure your party isn’t remembered for its woeful menu, talk to your staff before booking your catering. You need to make sure you’ve got something for everyone to enjoy and that all food intolerances, allergies, and dietary restrictions are taken into account. If you’re dealing with a large group, a buffet will be your best option to ensure everyone’s happy.
4. Include rewards and recognition
Christmas is the perfect time to bring everyone together and celebrate all the hard work they’ve put in throughout the year, and the achievements that have been made as a result. Recognizing and rewarding dedication and success is one of the most motivating things you can do for your team, whether it’s with kind words, a shiny certificate or a thoughtful corporate gift. Be sure to also warmly welcome any new staff at this time as they may feel awkward and out of place otherwise.
5. Think carefully about alcohol consumption
Office Christmas parties are notorious for inspiring booze-fuelled shenanigans that make the next workday awkward as heck. While every office has a different dynamic, it’s likely that banning alcohol altogether won’t do you any favors. People need to be treated like adults and allowed to make their own decisions.
Conversely, you may need to double-check whether your insurance covers you for incidents arising from alcohol consumption before making a decision on this matter. If you do decide to have an open bar, you may want to consider having a drink limit whereby the first few drinks are free and then after that, they must be purchased. You could limit the bar to wine only to ensure people don’t mix drinks or even consider making it a BYO event.
Organizing an office Christmas party is no easy task, but if you pull it off with style, you and your employees will go into the new year as a stronger and more cohesive team. Follow the tips above to create a killer party with no embarrassing moments for anyone involved.
