How To Make The Holidays Fun For Remote Employees
The holidays are right around the corner, and with remote work having become permanent for many employees, bringing the holiday cheer to them is trickier than before. Nonetheless, it holds the same significance as ever, if not more. Being away from the office environment, employees can feel isolated and alienated from their colleagues. The holiday season can intensify these feelings, as they don't get to experience traditional celebrations, such as the office party. If you want to bring your employees together and increase their engagement and productivity, it's time to organize fun events that can bring them together regardless of the distance. In this article, you will find 5 festive ideas to bring the holiday spirit to remote employees and create a warm and positive work environment.
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5 Fun Holiday Activities For Remote Employees
1. Host Festive Games And Contests
There's a plethora of festive virtual activities you can organize for your remote employees. You can even spread them around the month of December to keep employee morale high and give them something to wait for. An example would be posting daily festive trivia on your internal chat platform to get everyone excited for the holiday season. Another idea is hosting contests, such as "Ugly Christmas Sweater" or "Most Creative Ornament." Employees can vote for each other, and the winner might even be given a small gift. These activities are great for spreading some holiday cheer and motivating employees to interact more.
2. Exchange Gifts And Cards
Another great way for remote employees to share the holiday spirit is to exchange gifts and cards with each other. "Secret Santa" is a staple for many businesses, and working from home is no reason to stop doing it. In fact, if your staff is not spread too far from each other, they can even use the good old mailing service to send tangible gifts and holiday wishes to each other. If that's not the case, however, there's no need to worry. Your employees can still send creative digital cards and online gifts, such as coupons or gift cards, right into each other's inboxes.
3. Organize CSR Activities
Let's not forget that an important aspect of the holiday season is being grateful for what we have and embracing the spirit of giving back to those in need. Doing charity work during the holidays will bring your employees closer together by unifying them to achieve a noble cause. Since it's not possible to get together and support the local food bank, you will have to come up with online alternatives. These could include raising money for a charity that you all agree on or encouraging everyone to donate clothes and food to a cause close to them.
4. Encourage Time With Friends And Family
It's understandable to want to offer your remote employees as many opportunities to get into the holiday spirit and bond with their coworkers. But you must remember that Christmas is a time that should be spent around friends and family. Therefore, make sure not to overwork your staff so that they have the time and energy to spend time with their loved ones. You can also consider gifting them a voucher they can use in their local restaurants so that they can enjoy a meal on you. Doing this will make your employees feel that you value and support their work-life balance and will motivate them to put their best foot forward in the new year.
5. Host A Virtual Party
The culmination of holiday celebrations for remote employees must certainly be a virtual office party. The best day to schedule it would be the day before the break, when everyone will have sorted the bulk of their responsibilities. Set aside a couple of hours on the calendar and invite everyone to put on some festive clothes, decorate their (real or virtual) background, and share some holiday cheer with the rest of the company. A few activities to keep the party flowing would be a great idea, such as a game or a story-swapping prompt. But keep in mind that the purpose of this gathering is to share some much-needed positivity and encouragement so that employees feel rewarded for all their hard work and optimistic for the year ahead.
Conclusion
The holiday season might look different now that many of your employees are working remotely permanently. However, there are plenty of ways for them to participate in the Christmas cheer without having to hop onto a plane. The ideas we shared in this article are perfect for encouraging remote employees to join in the holiday spirit and go through this busy season with a spring in their step. Make sure to ask them what they would like to do this Christmas to show them your appreciation and gratitude for the successful year that's coming to an end.