Not every worker is a party person. Some would rather choose to stay at home on weekends rather than spend a few hours eating or drinking out. But if there is one company event that all employees look forward to, it’s the annual Christmas party. This holiday gathering is a chance to forget about work for a while, and just enjoy the fun and festive occasion. Who wouldn’t love indulging in delicious dishes, exchanging party gifts, and bringing home major or minor raffle items? No matter how much of Grinch you are, you still wouldn’t want to miss this traditional Christmas party.
For remote workers, this event is a great way to meet the people you work with in person. Some companies would even let all its employees fly to a certain island or resort and celebrate the holidays together. But what was once an easy plan to do by the HR department, is suddenly a challenge this year. Since COVID-19 happened, going out to meet each other is a risky thing to do. But would this pandemic be a hindrance to celebrate THE event of the year? Not really! COVID hasn’t cancelled Christmas totally! All it takes is a little more creativity and cooperation from everyone. Take a look at some tips you can apply to plan an effective virtual Christmas party!
Send A Comprehensive Invitation
A party is not complete without an invitation. Although this event is just an informal one, sending out virtual invitations with complete details and well – crafted design is the commencement of the upcoming get together. What most companies forget when planning a virtual event is that they just give out a notice via calendar invitation, email, or group message. Nothing is really wrong with that. However, the excitement and anticipation of the employees can decrease when they saw a “boring” invitation.
All About The Details
So, what can you do? First of all, design your invites in a way that happiness will capture the hearts of the employees. Christmas is a joyous occasion, which means that a dull colored e-invite may not be appropriate. Photos and other elements can also create a more fun vibe but don’t go overboard. Instead of looking nice, your invitations might appear to be too “extra” and “annoying”.
Next, make sure that before you finalize the date and time of the virtual party, you already asked everyone in the company about their availability. Remember that the holiday season is also shared with family and friends. So, there may be a tendency that not all employees are free on the date and time that you set.
Moreover, your invitation should also include the video call platform where the occasion will be celebrated. Do you prefer Zoom over Google Meet? Or vice versa? Whatever it is that you feel the most comfortable with, never forget to indicate it in the WHERE category. Also, the accessibility to the communication tool should also be smooth sailing. Meaning, if it’s already possible to type the meeting id, or to have it password free, then it’s better. You don’t want to get hassled on the day of the event, don’t you?
Another detail you should also point is the dress code. Parties, virtual or physical, will always look and feel better when attendees are dressed accordingly. So, if your company have a uniform or strict dress policy, maybe you can try to be lenient about it and let them wear any comfortable and casual attire. If you also have a party theme, you can also ask them to put on an outfit based on the theme.
Come Up With A Theme
Just like how invitations shouldn’t be boring, the overall feels of the party should not be the same as well. A themeless Christmas party is like a party without food and games, it’s just not how it should be. Although coming up with a theme is more on adding to the aesthetic of the event, it also serves as the structure of your program flow.
Take for example a Hawaiian themed holiday party. With this theme in mind, you can start off your program with a trip down the memory lane of your past company beach outings through a photo or video compilation. You can also choose music that screams vibrant, summer, and fresh feels. Furthermore, the theme can also be the basis for the workers’ attire. Instead of just simply doing the basic stuff in every party, having a theme is like giving more life to the same old activities you usually would do.
Share A Meal
This may sound funny considering that people in the company are miles away from each other. However, the great thing about video calls is that you can still see each other eat together. Food on Christmas parties are always a delight to have. From golden to perfection roasted turkey, to that sweet decadent chocolate cake. Well, these type of dishes may not be the kind of meal you might be having on your party. But what is important is that you still have something to fill your stomachs with alongside laughter and stories from each other.
Since the company is usually in charge of all expenses for such celebrations, what you can do is give a food coupon to the restaurant that is accessible to everyone. You can also have every employee’s favorite food delivered to their home. Since food deliveries are in demand nowadays, you won’t have a problem securing a rider who will take a simple meal right on your remote worker’s doorstep. If these options does not work, you can also give an extra cash to the employees’ Christmas bonus so they can just prepare or buy their own food.
Exchange Gifts
There is always that drum roll moment when it’s time for exchanging gifts. Some are really clueless as to whoever draw their name. Then, there are those detective type of employees who already has an eye on the person who had their names. Gifts are a classic happy pill. And so, this part of the program is something that everyone looks forward to the most. Exchanging gifts are not complicated when done physically. But what if it’s done virtually?
To execute a proper exchanging of gifts between remote workers, the company can ask all participants to send out their present via courier or through coupons. Since it will be a risk to go outside just to purchase that person’s wish, why not take advantage of online shopping platforms? Employees can choose the gift of their choice and have it delivered to the recipient’s home.
However, being patient is something that should be asked from everyone. When your exchange gift arrived days before the Christmas party, you must not be tempted to open it. Those who are too excited to see their presents will just be tagged as “kill joys” for not following rules. We don’t want that for sure.
Send A Christmas Package
Companies are struggling as much as individual workers are because of this pandemic. And so, some have already disclosed that a bonus or party is not doable. It’s really sad considering that everyone is looking forward to bond with their co-workers and have fun even just virtually. If this is the case for your company or even if you’ll still push through with the party, sending out Christmas packages is the best way to go.
A Christmas package doesn’t have to cost a fortune especially if you are considering your budget. There are plenty of ways wherein you can give a token of appreciation to your employees without breaking the bank. One way is to create personalize gifts. Instead of purchasing ready made coffee mugs or tote bags, why not design your own and have it printed. It will cost less and is also special because of the companies’ personal touch.
Another package you can send includes the usual Christmas food we serve. You can shop for spaghetti bundles (pasta and sauce), hams, and fruit salad ingredients. Not only will you make your employee happy with this type of package but their family as well. Food always makes everyone happy, as they say.
Aside from the aforementioned, another type of package you can send are the essential work from home equipment. From mouse, keyboard, headphones, power bank, and many more, you’ll surely make the lives of your remote workers’ easier and more comfortable.
This year’s Christmas party is very unusual even for those who doesn’t work in an office setup. To say that it is a sad reality is an understatement. However, you must also be grateful that despite the situation you are in, you still have a company to work with and employees to share the burden with. So, go on and have a party! Enjoy the company of each other and hope for the best in the coming year. Advance Merry Christmas!