With 2020coming to a close,the first line ofAuld LangSyne Shouldauld acquaintance beforgot?is on our minds.In this pandemic age,now-familiartermslike testing, mask, and work-from-homehaveearnedentirely new and deeper meanings.And newertermslike social distancingand COVID circlehavebecomedaily (hourly?) utterances.As a leader in your organization, you may bewondering:Shouldtheauldannual party beforgot?
Rather than lament that things are not the same,though,why notfind a silver lining? After all, COVID-19 wontstopthe holidays from coming.A remote or virtual celebration presents opportunities thatyour organization might not have with an in-person, traditional event.This is a leadership opportunity.Holding an engaging, rewarding eventwill requireout-of-the-box thinking,positivity,and strong leadership.This will be true from the highest level of management through all members ofthe party planning committee.
But we have confidence you can host a virtual celebration that could be used to recognize hard effort,support a charitable cause, or just simply add some levity to these otherwise dark times.And you can do so in a way that does not havecolleagues feelingleft outof the fun because oftheir age,gender, religious views, race, or health concerns.
A Holiday Party(At Home)Is Important,NowMore Than Ever
In arecent surveyof189 companies,only 23%reportedthat theyare planning a holiday partythis year;54% are not,and 23%are undecided or waiting for guidance.Of the 23%planning to celebrate,74% willdo so virtually.While it appears thata very small number of companiesstill anticipate holding in-person events, given the multitude of new,revived, or anticipatedCOVID-19mitigation orders, we wouldexpect many of those in-person plans to soon change.
Top 4 Suggestions For 2020 Holiday Celebrations
Withmany employeesathome,generally, and everyonemissingcoffee station camaraderie,organizations are looking for morale-boosting ideas. Here are our how-to tips for a virtual event.
1. Make events voluntary. From whether your employees show up at all to how much they participate, remember that while year-end company celebrations are professional, work-related events, they are optional. Dont put pressure on already stressed staff to add one more thing to their list. Everyone wont be interested, just like in any other year and thats okay.
2. Offer multiple options. Inclusivitycreates space for people to be their authentic selves. And some peoplewould rather watch hours of made-for-TV movies alone than hop on another video happy hour.Consider offering more than one way for yourteamto celebrateso everyone can feel special.
For example, virtual mixology classes and wine tastings are proving to be popular, but they can exclude those who dont drink alcoholbecause of their age, religious beliefs, or experience withsubstance or alcohol use disorders.Gather input from a diverse group of employeesto ensure your plans arent unintentionally excluding anyone.Perhaps your workforce could opt into one of several options:a mixology class, a cooking experience, a craft project, or a gift card toa food delivery service.
3. Remind everyone about company policies. Now is a good opportunity to remind everyone that, even in a remote celebration, company policiesapply.For example,any event, whether in person or on a screen, might be recorded, photographed, or turned into an unflattering screenshot. Harassmentcan bemore prevalent online than it is in person.
Andeven at home and behind a camera, employees should be appropriately dressed andtake it easy on the drinks. Send out your harassment, drug and alcohol, and social media policies(you do have a social media policy,yes?)in advance of your events.Before doing so, consider whether updates to your policies are warranted,to more specifically address the current nature of work in your organization.
4. Get creative. There are lots of great ideas out there to make youremployeesfeel special and often for far less than the cost of a traditional in-person event. Heres a list of what our clients (and we!) arebooking and looking into:
Inclosing, this has beena year of unprecedented pivots.From our perspective, organizations that pivot,once more,toward a virtual year-end or holiday event areon the mark. With strong leadership, some measure of creativity, and a determined purpose, your virtual eventcanbemore memorable than the auld parties of the past.
Read this article:
Theres No Place But Home for the Holiday Party: How To Safely Celebrate Your Organization This Year - JD Supra
