How to treat your team at Christmas

The festive season is a great opportunity to get your team together, show them some appreciation, and rustle up some good cheer. 

And why’s that important? Making your team feel connected with each other, as well as appreciated for their work is great for keeping your team engaged, motivated, and well, happier at work – just take it from Forbes. And celebrating the successes of the year just gone is a great way to set the stage for a productive January.

Here are some ideas for creating a fun festive season – wherever your team is based, and whatever your budget.  

Meet up in person

With more and more of us working remotely, Christmas is a great opportunity to get together. This can be particularly important if your team rarely has the chance to meet up in person and misses out on those informal chats that help to build relationships at work.

If budgets are tight, even a few drinks together can help your team get to know each other in a much more relaxed way than onscreen, which in turn helps to build a stronger team. Or if your team is scattered across the country, encourage them to meet up with colleagues local to them – even for a coffee and a mince pie.

Be flexible with time

The festive season can be frantic, so giving the gift of time is one way to show your team you appreciate them. That could be letting them duck out to see their child’s school assembly, having an extra half hour at lunch to pick up some Christmas presents, or a late start to avoid the queue at the post office.

Set up an appreciation box

Take time to pause over the festive period and encourage your team to appreciate what’s great about the people they work with. And that doesn’t have to be anything work-related. It could be the small things, like the person who checks in with others after a tough day, or the one who always jumps in first with new ideas.

Ask everyone to write one thing they appreciate about each team member, stick it in a box (virtual or real), then take some time as a team to open and read them.

Hold an online meet-up

If your team works remotely, they might be too scattered to get together in one place. In which case you could have a virtual get-together. There are lots of online options – horse racing, escape rooms, quizzes, karaoke.

Airbnb has hundreds of online experiences, from magic shows to cocktail making sessions or cook-alongs. See what best suits your team.

Have a synchronised take out

If your budget allows, you could send each team member a voucher for Deliveroo or Uber Eats. Everyone orders their own take-out, then tucks into their dinner while chatting together on screen.  

Send a handwritten card

Money’s tight all round this year. But sometimes the simplest gestures can mean the most. Receiving a handwritten Christmas card feels like a treat these days, and even more so if you take the time to write a note of appreciation to each team member for their contribution over the year.

Showing that you’ve noticed their hard work – and have taken the time to tell them – will go a long way.

Have a play party

Take the afternoon off and stick on a Christmas classic. If your budget allows you could also arrange for popcorn and snacks to be delivered in time for kick off. 

And if time’s too pushed to watch a film, put together a Spotify playlist to power the team through to Christmas, wherever they’re working. Everyone can add in their own favourites, and it will give you all a little glimpse into each colleague’s taste (no judging).

Get competitive

Let your team unleash their competitiveness. Who has the best Christmas tree? Who has the most festive pet? Who can sing the best rendition of ‘Last Christmas’? Get them to send photos or films of their entry – and share with the team.

Help out

Christmas might be a good time of year to get out there and experience your charity at the frontline. Maybe you could work alongside some of your volunteers for a day. There’s nothing like seeing first-hand how your organisation helps people to warm hearts and remind your team what an important job they do.

And finally, don’t make anything compulsory – the idea of forced fun makes many people shudder and won’t do team spirit any good. You’ll know what’s appropriate for your team – and if you don’t, ask them!