6 Easy Ways to Engage Employees this Holiday Season

It’s officially November and the holiday season (and winter) is closing in on all of us. The mornings can be frigid (remember, we’re in Ohio) and it’s dark by the time you leave the office. How do you engage employees this season? We have 6 easy ideas to implement:

1. Switch up the annual holiday party: Have you been hosting the same holiday party year after year? Everyone knows exactly where to be and when, what food to expect, and what gifts they’ll receive (or not). Time for a change! Move the location. If you’ve been doing something fancy in recent years, try something more low key – or vice versa.
2. Increase the Coffee: It might sound like an insignificant perk, but caffeine is everything when we’re all trying to adjust to colder weather and balancing work and life during the holiday season. Keep your kitchen or cafeteria heavily stocked with an assortment of hot drinks for your employees or bring in carafes from a local coffee shop.
3. Have a secret gift exchange: Whether it’s a one-time event or all week long, have someone in the office coordinate a secret gift exchange with a random name generator. Anonymous exchanges encourage employees to do some detective work about the recipients and learn more about someone they may not interact with regularly.
4. Decorate the office: Nothing screams holiday spirit to your employees (and customers/visitors) like walking into an office twinkling with lights and a big Christmas tree. Go one step further and encourage employees to decorate their office space for a more personal touch.
5. Show Your Brand Pride: Hand out branded t-shirts, sweatshirts, scarves, mittens – anything you can think of that your employees will appreciate and can wear comfortably in the office.
  and finally…
6. Surprise Them: You can do this in a number of ways, but it’s important to go outside of your comfort zone and what you’ve done in years past to truly surprise your employees. Consider an early release as the holidays approach, have an executive dress up as Santa, cater a holiday lunch on short notice, or have a happy hour in the office.

Most importantly, it doesn’t have to be extravagant for employees to appreciate it. Small and big gestures like these can keep your company culture moving in a positive direction. Happy Holidays!