It is that time of the year again!
With office Christmas parties taking place over the next month, it is
timely to remember the importance of the event for morale and team
building in your organisation.
Christmas parties are an ideal forum to publicly acknowledge and
thank staff, and to consolidate a positive work environment, as well
as for celebration and having a good time.
Employers who fail to publicly address their staff - and to publicly
acknowledge good performance with gifts or certificates at Christmas
functions - are missing a valuable and significant opportunity.
The hundreds of successful organisations that we have worked with
over the past 17 years have found that the self-belief of employees
is just as valuable to them as their technical skills.
Office Christmas parties are a great opportunity to publicly
acknowledge staff in front of their peers. This is one of the most
powerful forms of building self-esteem. These functions could be
somewhat wasted if all they are is an excuse for over indulgence.
Realisations Consultancy has developed six key tips for managers and
CEOs to capitalise on the team-building and morale strengthening
potential of office Christmas functions:
- Make a succinct 5-minute speech to your staff, congratulating all
of them on the achievements of the past year and thanking them for
their contribution to your organisation. Ensure that this speech
is made early in the function, before people become too relaxed to
properly appreciate it.
- Make public presentations to outstanding staff who have made
exceptional contributions to the success of the organisation
during the year. Call them forward, shake their hand, and perhaps
present them with a certificate which they can frame and keep on
an office wall for on-going recognition. T-shirts or caps, printed
with your logo, slogan and achievements, can be worthwhile gifts,
which also serve to promote your business.
- Humour is a great team builder. Consider having some ‘fun’ awards
to present to staff, perhaps acknowledging their contribution to
the team spirit and enjoyable work environment in your office. Be
careful not to embarrass anyone.
- Acknowledge the achievements of your organisation over the past
year, and also acknowledge any shortcomings or mistakes. This
shows that your organisation has a pragmatic and realistic
attitude, not one only built on optimism. Briefly outline any key
goals and plans for the coming year and highlight the benefits and
enjoyment your staff can expect in the next 12 months.
- End your speech with a call for everyone to applaud themselves and
their colleagues for their efforts during the year.
- Be generous enough to ensure that taxi vouchers are available on
request at the end of the function for those staff who may
over-indulge themselves. The cost of taxi vouchers is far less
than the likely cost of losing a staff member through accident, or
having them lose their driving licence.
On another happy note, Realisations Consultancy has celebrated our
17th birthday recently. We would like to thank you for being a part
of our ongoing success and we look forward to continuing our
relationship into 2010.
