The weather outside is frightful, the halls of our office building are lined with poinsettias, and ice-skating rinks are popping up all over town. That can only mean one thing– it's officially holiday season! Whether or not your team already has some exciting holiday plans, it's never too late to start some new company holiday traditions.
Everyone has their own holiday traditions, especially when it comes to food. Consider hosting a company potluck for lunch or dinner one day. Employees can contribute a dish related to their personal traditions. This is a creative (and tasty!) way for employees to get to know each other.
Turn your attention to others and bring the team on a volunteering event. Local shelters and organizations usually have special volunteer opportunities for the holidays. This is something the CultureIQ team is fitting into our yearly holiday agenda.
Alternatively, if leaving the office is hard for your company, you can host a fundraising event in your office. Coat drives and toy drives are particularly popular during the cold holiday months.
Just because Thanksgiving has passed does not mean it's too late to give thanks. Surprise your employees with personalized holiday cards that show your appreciation for their hard work. You can have the leadership team write these or divide them up by department.
Short on time? Think about adding small holiday decorative touches throughout the office. A few weeks ago we posted about adding some color into your workspace, and this is a great opportunity to do just that.
Take a different approach to the holidays and sponsor employees to sign up for a local 5k. Provide team shirts and encourage those who aren't participating to support the runners with signs and positive energy. The bonus– the proceeds for many of these local races go toward a good cause!
Do you have some other great company holiday traditions? You can always tweet them at us at @CultureIQ.
Jamie brings people together to connect and collaborate around company culture. She enjoys looking at her daily art calendar, seeking "friluftsliv," and talking about Australian Shepherds (or dogs in general) any chance she gets. If you want to chat about company culture, feel free to shoot her an email at jamie@cultureiq.com.