The office Christmas party has been a staple on every employees’ diary for as long as we can remember, but these days many companies want to do something a bit more sophisticated and a little less dramatic to celebrate the festive season with their colleagues.
This is where corporate Christmas events come in, enabling businesses to reward co-workers with a bit of a break before the holidays while also developing team-building and communication skills between workmates.
1. Cooking or chocolate-making workshops
The festive season is synonymous with rich, delicious food, so let your staff indulge ahead of the season with a cooking or chocolate-making workshop.
To enable large teams to get involved, you could hire an exhibition venue and employ a top chef or chocolatier for the day.
They can then show the staff how to whip up something tasty in the kitchen, projecting a video of their creative skills onto large screens around the room.
To avoid having to use ovens and hobs, get them to make chocolate masterpieces instead. You’ll be amazed what they can make with simple equipment like piping bags and moulds.
Workers might even be able to get a few Christmas presents out of their creations, saving them time and money shopping during the busy season.
This type of event is sure to be lots of fun, as they can try out a new skill, enjoy doing something creative and light-hearted, and even tuck into delicious masterpieces at the end.
2. Get crafty with decoration making
Not everyone exercises their creative side as much as they would like, so if you want your corporate team to think more outside the box, why not set up a decoration-making event for them?
Supply lots of glue, pompoms, sequins, glitter, baubles, string, paints, markers and pompoms and see what fantastic decorations they create.
They might even surprise themselves at how creative they can be, and may start to use this side of their personality more in the workplace.
What’s more, if your team is struggling with stress and work pressure before the holidays, this could be the ideal way to help them unwind.
According to Spectrum Health & Human Services, crafting is able to “bolster mood, improve self-confidence, and reduce stress overall”.
It is also considered to be effective as an antidepressant, and symptoms of PTSD, anxiety disorders, depression and insomnia decline when someone takes part in a crafty activity.
So, filling a corporate venue with lots of decoration equipment could really boost your team’s mental health during this period, which can often be overwhelming.
3. Christmas scavenger hunt
Really get your team to work together by signing them up for a Christmas scavenger hunt.
You could either hold the hunt in the office building, hire a different venue they are unfamiliar with, or have it set in the city, so they have to take to the streets to find clues.
This will certainly get everyone feeling festive, particularly as the treasures they are tasked with finding are all Christmas-themed.
There could be a reward at the end for the team that finds all the clues first, giving them an incentive to work hard and fast, but most importantly communicate effectively with one another.
