End of year festivities are fast approaching. These are a great opportunity to celebrate with your team and to recognize their efforts in a very special year. But given the current pandemic context, their organization can become a real headache. Although large gatherings in the office or restaurant are not allowed, there are still ways to mark the occasion through a unique experience for your colleagues. Here are some tips and recommendations to make your holiday party memorable despite the pandemic.
Get real animators to host your video conference calls
For many companies, video calls have replaced Happy Hour and other team meetings. It goes without saying that this option is also the most popular for celebrating the holiday party with colleagues. To mark the occasion, why not call on professional animators to entertain your employees? Get in touch with comedians or inspirational speakers to bring life to your online calls. Virtual DJs are also a fun option to consider. For the little ones, you can even bring in a virtual Santa Claus (maybe a member of your team will volunteer) and then mail the gifts to add some magic to your celebrations.
You could go one step further and organize a game night or a virtual scavenger hunt that will leave your mark on your team. If you’re in the province of Quebec, we recommend contacting Randolph, L-A Twist, or TBMOQ (Team Building Montreal, Ottawa & Quebec), who can manage the whole ordeal for you.
Organize at-home gourmet meals
Getting together at a restaurant just doesn’t seem like a possibility this year. However, with a little inspiration, you can create a dining experience that your employees can share together, regardless. You could have meal boxes or mixology boxes delivered right to your employees’ homes. You could then have an online dinner to enjoy the meal together, and even reward the person who prepared the recipe the best. Here are some great businesses that offer this kind of service:
Have gifts deliverered to your employees
Your reservations for rooms, restaurants or catering services have certainly been cancelled. Why not use that budget towards gift baskets for your employees? Choose local products that will please your colleagues while supporting small local businesses in these tough times. Here are some ideas for your shopping:
Go behond material rewards
The budget allocated to holiday celebrations is often substantial. This amount can be used to offer particularly attractive benefits to your employees. If your situation allows it, you could give additional days off during the holiday season. If you buy gift cards for more than $5,000, Germain hotels will give you 20% more. Why not offer a getaway to each of your employees? After this hectic year, they will certainly be thankful for it.
Survey your employees
Ultimately, the ones who are in the best position to tell you how they would like to celebrate the holiday season are your employees! Ask them for their opinion and you might discover some innovative ideas that will truly make them happy.