We are now in December, which inevitably means office Christmas parties. Perceptions on holiday parties run from the good (teambuilding, networking) to the bad (did she REALLY just hit on her boss???). A common theme of today’s business environment is that holiday parties are an unnecessary expense in a tough economy. I disagree wholeheartedly.
A Christmas party can be a great investment if done right.
If this is your holiday party group, I feel sorry for you!
Let’s face it – we all work an awful lot. We may not always like our co-workers, but we also do not get many opportunities to interact with them outside of work. I’ve golfed and played cards with some co-workers, but I do not usually spend a lot of time with my co-workers outside of work. I’m not advocating that you spend all of your time with your co-workers, but you will work better as a team if you know more about those in your cubicle farm. That’s where a well-designed holiday party can be important.
Here are some good tips for planning the right holiday party for your organization and turning it into a value added investment.
- Involve spouses – While I have not yet met a spouse who wants her mate to spend MORE time in the office, a spouse should know the people with whom you spend your time at the office. Perhaps if your spouse realized your office mates are good people and easy to talk to, he/she will not more understanding if you need to spend an evening in the office.
- Create stories from the event – I do not mean party-related stories that we all probably did too much of while in college. Have someone recall a time when a co-worker made a meaningful gesture or pitched in to get the job done. Dave Ramsey’s Lampo Group is routinely cited as a top Nashville-area employer, and the Lampo Group has a Christmas party every year with memorable events. The stories are what your employees will remember as they interact with customers and others in the community.
- Think investment, not expense – You do not need to rent the most expensive hotel’s ballroom and serve a five-course meal. You do need to carefully plan the event and make sure your employees and their spouses consider the event as a valuable networking and social tool.
We do not do business with faceless organizations. We do business with people who have the same dreams and fears that we do. Offering the chance to interact with your employees in a relaxed, informal setting gives everyone the opportunity to seem more human and to pull together for the good of the organization.
