It is almost Holiday time during an extremely crazy year. So many changes have been made to everyday life. Now as we look at Holiday Office parties, we need to make additional adjustments. 2020 is not going to be a year of large company-wide holiday blowouts. The year will likely end with informal holiday celebrations. This is the perfect time to break away from “we always do it this way” holiday parties. As a company, what should you do to celebrate the holidays and the end to a year we all would rather forget? At Rocket City HR Consulting, we have come up with several ideas to make the party a success.
“Together, but not together!”
The new normal is to do work virtually. Why not celebrate that way, also?
There are many Virtual Event Platforms that will help you to plan and host your party. A number of these include entertainment and games. If you are creative, you can come up with some amazing virtual party ideas of your own. Here are some our staff has come up with:
- Virtual Game night – Choose any game you can play together as a group. Bingo, Pictionary, Charades, Minute to Win-it, or Heads-Up
- Virtual Murder Mystery party – There are websites that give you everything you need to host a virtual mystery night
- Virtual Dinner party – Food or dinner is sent to an employees’ home and eaten “together” virtually
- Virtual Costume party – Time to get creative, pick a theme and have everyone dress up. Ugly sweater, dress as your favorite holiday movie character, or a specific decade (60s, 70s, 80s etc.)
- Virtual Event party – Bring entertainment into your employee’s homes virtually like a magician, band, or psychic
- Virtual Silent Auction – Each employee is given a number of credits and they bid for items. Employees bid to get the “gift” they like best, which will have employees bidding against each other for an item (all in good fun)
- Virtual Craft party – This is a great option for a creative work force. Employees would be painting or doing a craft. There are also third-party services that will lead the event for you
- Virtual Cocktail party – Many companies are already doing this regularly. You meet as a team during cocktail hour and share a drink and conversation
The best part of a virtual party is you can mix and match each of the ideas together. For example, you could have a Virtual Costume, Game Night, Silent Auction and Dinner party this year.
“It is great to be together, even if distanced”
If your employees are tired of everything being virtual or if your office holiday party is all about being seen, why not try an informal social distancing, face-to-face event? Here are some ideas that might work for your company:
- Drive-In Movie night – Use the side of a building as a screen and have everyone come to the parking lot to watch a movie. Great fun for the whole family
- Food Trucks – Bring food trucks to your office and host an outdoor event. Also, a great family event
- Drive-By Christmas party – Have employees drive by the office and have managers hand out goodie bags and/or food. Give out raffle tickets for extra special gifts. This would also be a great way to encourage donations to the company’s favorite charity. Another family friendly option
- Small group dinners – This has been the norm at some companies for holiday parties, but it is an option not all companies have considered. Small business units or teams are given money to go out to dinner together
If you budgeted money for a party and it is just not going to work out for your company this year, use the money to buy each employee a more expensive gift or give a larger holiday bonus than normal.
Employees appreciate being rewarded whether it is with a party or a gift. Do not forget your employees this year; they all need a little extra support. Think outside the box to find ways to include everyone in your holiday or year-end celebration.
