Should Your Company Host a Christmas Party?
A company Christmas party is an event, hosted by the company, around Christmas time for all employees. Sometimes it might be held by each office or branch, while other times it might be hosted by the entire company.
A company Christmas party is a great opportunity to boost employee morale and finish off the year strong. Whether or not a company should do a company Christmas party should ultimately be decided by the executive team, though they should seek guidance from the HR team. Before deciding to do a company Christmas party, a company needs to be aware of the potential pros and cons of hosting one.
Pros of Hosting a Company Christmas Party
- Employee morale. A company Christmas party can increase employee morale. It allows employees to take a break from work and celebrate a holiday together that is likely celebrated by most other employees. It is an opportunity to have some fun and enjoy the holiday season. A party can help employees stay motivated and finish the year on a high note.
- Employee engagement. A company Christmas party encourages employee engagement. Most employees want to get to know their co-workers better, which can be hard at times while at work. Hosting a company Christmas party provides an opportunity for employees to strengthen the bonds they have with one another and get to know each other better.
- Employee appreciation. What is probably the most important reason for hosting a company Christmas party is the opportunity for a company to show employees their appreciation. Employees want to be appreciated and validated for the work they do. At a company Christmas party, an employer can take the time to show and tell the employees how much they appreciate all that they do.
- Yearly review. A company Christmas party gives the employer a chance to review the year with the company. Often this review happens when a CEO provides a state of the union address with the whole company and lets them know what the company was able to accomplish in the year and what to look forward to in the next year. It is important for an employee to hear company accomplishments and to give them goals to look forward to.
Cons of Hosting a Company Christmas Party
- Religious observance. One downside to a company Christmas party is that it might be prejudiced against other religious holidays that aren’t being celebrated. The key to avoiding this is to be aware of your employees and seek feedback on how they would feel about a company Christmas party. If needed, a company can always have a year end party celebrating all the holidays that take place toward the end of the year, not just Christmas.
- Financial burden. A company should never attempt to be cheap with its employees, but it should still strive to be financially smart. One potential downside of a company Christmas party is the financial burden on a company. Hosting a company Christmas party for the entire workforce often costs thousands of dollars. Before hosting a company Christmas party, a company needs to make sure they have the funds required for the event.
- Employees feeling obligated to go. One of the biggest concerns with hosting a company Christmas party is that employees might feel obligated to go. Some employees don’t enjoy large social gatherings or going to work events outside of work. Whatever the case may be, hosting a company Christmas party can cause anxiety for some employees because they might feel obligated to go due to social pressures or being afraid of looking bad to their boss. It is important for companies to state to their employees that they are not required to go to company Christmas parties if they do not want to.
There are many different ways for a company to host a Christmas party. There is no right or wrong way to do it. Ultimately, it should be an event that is fun for the employees, an event where employees don’t have to stress about work, and an event that employees can enjoy spending time with their co-workers.
Company Lunch
One idea of a company Christmas party is going out to a nice place for lunch as a company. As part of the lunch, gifts or prizes being given to the employees can make things more fun. This is a simple idea, but it can still be meaningful for employees.
Give Back to the Community
Christmas time is a great time to give back. Having your company Christmas party centered around doing something in the community, whether it is at the homeless shelter or Sub for Santa, is a great opportunity for your employees to come together for a greater good. Giving back can really boost employee morale as they help and serve others in need.
White Elephant Gift Exchange
Employees doing a gift exchange can be a lot of fun and make for many memories. If you do this, you want to be sure the rules are clear on how much you should spend on a gift and what kind of gift it should be. You will also want to make it clear to the employees that their participation is not required.
Send Invitations
Sending out formal invitations for a company Christmas party can make the event feel extra special. Employees will want to make the event memorable and might be more willing to get into whatever theme there might be for the party.
End-of-Year Presentation
A big part of your company’s Christmas party should be recapping what happened that year. You can do this by having your CEO lead a presentation while people are finishing up eating. There are four elements that make up a great end-of-year presentation:
- Recap of the year. Use stats, goals achieved, etc.
- Recap video. Have your creative team put together a movie of pictures and videos that were taken.
- What’s coming up. What goals do you want to accomplish next year?
- Awards. Give out awards to those who best exemplified your company’s core values during the year.
A company Christmas party shouldn’t seem like a chore. You can have a great party that your employees will be excited about if you create an atmosphere where they can enjoy each other’s company. Creating a theme, giving gifts, competing in games, and recapping your year will take your Christmas party to the next level.