WHAT’RE YOU DOING FOR CHRISTMAS?
Ah, that question that starts to come around this time of year as people start to firm up plans for the festive season. But what about your workplace – what are you doing for the festive season?
Many businesses have at least some time off over the festive period, admittedly, some industries less than others, but it is something we need to plan for. Consider not just your customers, but also your employees.
Now, first off, not all your colleagues might celebrate Christmas, so consideration needs to be taken to remain sensitive to others’ beliefs and personal circumstances. Getting a balance can be tricky. Here are some ideas to keep your celebrations inclusive.
An end of year thank you
It’s always nice to feel appreciated in the workplace, use the end of the year as a way to mark a collective thank you to your colleagues. This can be a message from your company owners, chief executive officer, managing director, leadership team or a combination of these. Think about the best way to get this message to teams. If you’re all based in one location, a face to face get together is a nice touch. But if this isn’t possible, think about – personalised cards, a video message, or perhaps an email.
If your organisation is in a positions to offer a thank you gift, that can be a nice touch too. But try to make it inclusive. Not everyone drinks alcohol and dietary requirement may rule out edible gifts. Companies that offer gift cards for a range of online and high street store that you can personalise is a good idea, that way people can spend it on what they want.
The Festive Do
Whether or not your organisation has a budget for a festive do, it’s a nice idea to get together outside the workplace.
Now, some colleagues really don’t feel comfortable attending these events, or some may just not want to. That’s ok, it’s hard to please everyone. But don’t assume what people want. Let your teams choose if and how they would like to have a social. It doesn’t necessarily need to be after work, it could be a short get together at lunch-time for tea and mince pies. Whatever the budget, let your teams know and let them decide what they would like to do.
You can even create events your teams can get involved in in the workplace. What about a festive or endo of year quiz, or a digital advent calendar rounding up all the great things your colleagues have done over the year.
Thinking of those in need
Encouraging your colleagues to help others at this time of year can really bring people together. It is the time for giving. Maybe you can organise a food bank collection, or a present drop for charities requesting gifts for those that otherwise might not get anything. Get your teams involved and let them decide. They might have a charity close to their hearts they would like to support.
Bear in mind that some of your colleagues might be those in need. For example, grief can rear its head for many at this time of year. Make sure you let your colleagues know where they can get help and support if they are struggling. Be that with your organisation’s employee assistance programme or contact numbers for charitable support group like the Samaritans. I’ll put some of these contact details at the bottom of this blog.
If you have any more ways to help colleagues work well this festive season, why not share it with us on Make Me A Plan’s social media channels? We’d love to see how you celebrate with your teams.
Useful contact details:
Samaritans:
tel: 116 123
email: jo@samaritans.org
Trussell Trust:
tel: 01722 580180
email: enquiries@trusselltrust.org
Citizen’s Advice:
tel: 0808 223 1133
