The holiday season is one time of year when people seem eager to get out of the office so that they can finish their seasonal to-do list. While it is normal to want to head home early to get things done, this is also the perfect time of year to help draw your office team closer together. The same seasonal events and festivities that people enjoy with their families can also be slightly changed up to make them office-friendly. Consider adding these ideas to your office’s holiday plans to help build better rapport among all of your staff.
Host a Holiday Party with a Twist
The office holiday party is a time-honored tradition that helps everyone see a new side of their coworkers. This year, you can increase the bonding that occurs by adding a new element to the traditional office party pot luck or restaurant meal. Consider having your team bring extra canned goods to share with a local charity, or take the party to a nearby organization and help host a meal for people in need. Getting everyone involved in a good cause helps the team bond through a shared purpose that also highlights what makes your business so great. Adding a twist to your holiday party is a surefire way to get employees excited. This helps them connect to each other and to your company, which is a great way to herald the end of the year.
Create a Decorating Team
An office building can start to look drab over time, and working in a cheerful environment helps to bolster teamwork and productivity. Ask your staff for a few volunteers who can help decorate the office. While they are at it, ask them to help you identify any needs for building repairs that also need to be completed to create a comfortable work environment. From restoring the structural integrity of the building to adding some lights and garland, you’ll quickly notice a shift to a more positive mood when your office staff picks up on the changes in their work space. Your decorating team can also come up with fun ways to have holiday-specific decorations that are still inclusive, such as putting up both stars of David and Christmas trees. Decorating the office and having a specific team designated helps your employees work together and enjoy doing something fun that brightens the whole office.
Plan Fun Contests and Competitions
Your office team will also enjoy engaging in some friendly competition that helps them rev up for the holiday season. Try hosting a contest to see who can bring in the greatest number of weekly sales and award them with a gift card to a local store. Alternatively, you could turn the decorating into a competition to see who can make the most festive cubicle. Either way, be sure to infuse the competitions with lots of excitement to get everyone talking to each other.
The holidays are no time to slack off with building office rapport when you can use the season to lift everyone’s spirits. While work must get done, taking some time to have some fun helps everyone feel like working harder as a part of an engaging and exciting team. Follow these tips to use the holidays to create some office rapport.
Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most of her time hiking, biking, and gardening. For more information, contact Brooke via Facebook at facebook.com/brooke.chaplan or Twitter @BrookeChaplan
