When it comes to planning your work Christmas party or any end-of-year event, the most important thing to consider before making any plans is what your object is. When we boil down any staff party, there are 2 potential reasons:
- To imply you value them
- Value through investment
Whilst these may seem like the same thing, they are dramatically different and will impact what you end up doing as a team.
Implying You Value Your Team
When companies want to imply they care about their team, typically they will go all out for an end of year event organising something flashy which has a lot of perceived cost. Nice Dinner, Wine Tour, boat tour, concern or open bar.
Many companies tie a price tag to valuing their team.
Yet this typically has the reserve effect. The team sees all the “pointless” money spent and reflects on all the hardship throughout the year past, the tool or staffing requests which had been denied and then try to get back what they feel they are owed. We see this through heavy use of the bar tab.
We see people drinking or eating to excess as they feel the company owes them.
But come the end of the night or the next day, they don’t really feel as if the company really cares about them.
Whereas when you see a company choose to invest in their team, do something which benefits them as a whole or individually the employees walk away feeling better about themselves and the company they work for.
So when it comes to planning your Staff Christmas Party, first choose the motivation as it will then direct all your other choices.
Implying Value
Contact a local tour company or well-known restaurant and arrange a day or event for your team where you foot the bill. This is the extent of the planning you need.
Investing In Your Team
Step 1- Identify your outcomes
What do you want to get from the event? Is it a better community, trust, creative thinking, safety or another area? Identify this first as it will then direct all other choices
Step 2-Contact Providers
Reach out to local Team Building companies or events companies and inform them of the outcome you need, then begin to discuss the finer details.
A good team building company will be able to look at your goals and present options to suit those desired outcomes. Find the perfect event for your team
Step 3-Manage Budget
Be mindful of how much your event seems to cost. If you’ve spent all year saying “no” to staffing requests or other areas, it might not be a great idea to do something too flashy. Keep it simple and focus on the quality, rather than the perceived value.
When it comes to planning your Work Christmas Party, or End Of Year Work Function, always begin with what you want out of the event, and then plan from there.
