The holiday season is here. It is an exciting time for many, but it can also be very stressful. This is true under normal circumstances. However, the holiday season is looking a little different this year. Businesses wonder how the pandemic will affect their holiday celebrations both in and out of the office.
The typical holiday party is out of the question this year, but it is still important to retain morale and show togetherness with your employees even if you are all apart. It is always essential to maintain a sense of normalcy during these difficult times. There are a variety of ideas that you can consider to celebrate the holidays safely this year. These ideas allow you to spread cheer to your employees without spreading COVID-19 and other viruses.
Socially Distanced Day of Community Service
There is no better time for businesses to connect with their community than the holidays. It might seem complicated during a pandemic, but your community has never needed help more. Community service or charitable causes are a great way for you and your team to connect towards a common goal. Charitable causes give your employees something to feel proud of because they are providing help to their community. This, in turn, creates a ripple effect that not only improves employee morale but the overall culture of your workplace.
Food drives and fundraisers are an effective way to give back, and there are ways to do this safely. People have been getting creative using virtual volunteering during the pandemic. You can create a curbside drop-off for a food drive where employees leave donations in a safe and contactless atmosphere. For a fundraiser, you can host one online. There are so many online payment apps that make donating to your community simple and easy.
Gift Exchange Via Mail
Many businesses host white elephants, secret Santa’s, or holiday gift exchange. There are ways that you can still do these things. One way is to host a socially distanced white elephant in your office where you set chairs out six feet apart and have staff select gifts from a central table instead of giving them hand to hand. This can get complicated, but if you can take the time to get creative, this could work well for your team. The size of your team also matters with an event like this. If you have a large group, this might not be feasible.
One of the safest ways to host a gift exchange this year is by mail instead of in person. With so much of our communication taking place online, receiving a letter or a gift in the mail brings a little bit of joy to people's lives. Letter-writing and pen pals have become more popular during the recent pandemic, and you can expect holiday cards to be greeted with more enthusiasm this year than ever before.
For your holiday gift exchange among employees, give them the mailing address of their partner in the exchange and have them send the gifts via mail. This helps remote workers still feel as they are included in the office holiday festivities and give them something to look forward to. It would help if you also considered reimbursing your employees for shipping costs to make things easier.
Host a Virtual Holiday Party
It will be standard practice this holiday season that business holiday parties will be held virtually. Whatever video conferencing platform you choose to use, this is a great way to stay connected during a pandemic holiday. Videoconference platforms help companies and families bridge the gap when travel isn't recommended or possible right now. There are some ways that you can add a little spark to your virtual holiday party.
Instead of just another video call, you can create a custom background and share it with your employees to use during the party. Schedule toasts and speeches, and think of some interactive games like office trivia with prizes like digital gift cards for winners. Get creative, and you can make this a holiday party to remember.
Most importantly, remember that it's the connection that matters, not the distance. Although we may not have in-person holiday festivities this year, we are all still lucky to live in a time where technology is at our fingertips, and we can stay connected easily. The holidays are about showing people you care, and there is no better way to do this, than taking the safety of your employees seriously.
References: Windham-Bradstock, C. (2020, November 30). Spreading Holiday Cheer Among Employees Without Spreading Viruses. Retrieved December 3, 2020, from Forbes website: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2020/11/30/spreading-holiday-cheer-among-employees-without-spreading-viruses/?sh=4595af70f7d2