Top tips to keep employees engaged during a COVID-19 Christmas
As we near the end of 2020, unable to fully socialise due to COVID-19 restrictions, it’s looking less likely that many work-related Christmas festivities will be on the cards this year – but that doesn’t mean that we can’t have celebrations like we would every other year – it just means they will have to be done differently.
HR teams and business owners will be conjuring up various ways to keep employees engaged during the festive period, and to boost morale moving into the New Year. We wanted to share with you some fun ideas to engage with employees leading up to Christmas 2020:
Virtual Christmas Parties
Nearing the end of the year means businesses will have to start preparing for the new calendar year, and with that comes a load of deadlines, heavy workloads and sometimes a lack of motivation from employees. A Christmas party allows workers to relieve some of the pressures they face and come together with their colleagues and close team members to celebrate. Since COVID-19 has meant limits on who can go where and with whom, why not have a Christmas party with a twist?
Using collaborative software such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams, we can still come together in the comfort of our own home to eat, drink and be merry (hic!)
From, Secret Santa…
Christmas is the time for giving and it was found in a study by business energy comparison site Love Energy Savings, that around 68% of British workers look forward to participating in surprising colleagues with Secret Santa gifts.
Through a continued and prolonged sense of anticipation throughout the month of December, Secret Santa brings an excitement to the workplace over the festive period, whether it’s trying to guess who your Secret Santa is, or sharing whispers with colleagues for tips on what to buy, without giving the game away! For larger organisations, it can mean building new work friendships and getting to know people out with your immediate teams and an opportunity to spread Christmas cheer to others further afield in your Company’s hierarchy.
All these things will benefit businesses by bringing some joy to the office and boosting motivation in the workforce and to be in a state of readiness moving into 2021.
Christmas Cards
In the modern day where technology and social media has become so popular, we are seeing more “Merry Christmas to all!” Facebook status’ being broadcast to hundreds of online friends and colleagues – which, we would all agree, sometimes aren’t very meaningful at all. But this year, after we have all been isolated from one another, sending Christmas Cards may be a simple, meaningful and valuable gesture. Of all those who worked from home this year, 86% did so because of the Coronavirus pandemic. So it is understandable that workers would have felt lonely this year, and although we might be seeing less being sent as the years go on, sending something as personal as a handwritten Christmas card to employees will show some appreciation and care towards them.
It’s no doubt that 2020 has put a strain on everyone – from furlough to worries about job security, so thanking your employees for their hard work and patience will go a long way in showing how valued they are.
We hope the above ideas help make a COVID-19 Christmas working from home much more bearable. Use your imagination and be creative when celebrating the end of a very unusual year.
Team Youmanage wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
