December – The holiday season of the year.

With the two significant celebrations Christmas and New year, everybody is always excited to end the year on a high note. This means taking time off and going on a trip with family or friends. But recently with the workspace culture budding up stronger, people are now excited for office parties and celebrations as well. They look forward to what new theme or idea each year brings, to have fun with their colleagues.

This has brought a significant change in workspaces in India where the leaders are now actively involved to make the holiday season fun for their people. This time also opens up exciting opportunities for managed workspaces where people can explore various ways to enjoy the celebrations. Let’s look at some of them.

1. Employee engagement activities

Well, first things first, this is the time to engage the employees beyond work. Leaders can arrange various activities to make the holiday times entertaining for their employees, for instance, organizing game sessions to strengthen intra- and inter-team bonds. Now it might be possible that some of the employees may be back at home, so arranging virtual events like video calls, online games, etc. can prove to be really engaging.

Apart from these, since it’s the end of the year, people need to relax and recuperate, hence, arranging employee wellness programs like meditation sessions can be very beneficial for the entire team. A Forbes article mentions that having such guided sessions are great ways to bring employees together.

2. Themed parties

It’s time for themes! Gone are the days of monotonous non-glamorous parties. Office parties are getting hyped with time and so are their preparations. Themed parties are in and the office interior is the perfect way to blend it with. Of course, the safety of people has to be considered while planning. According to CBRE, space and design will be flexible during this year’s celebrations to accommodate a safer environment. Managed workspaces have the liberty to decorate the interiors as per their liking, and this gives them an opportunity to reflect their interiors as well as values in their parties.

3. Reflect company ethos

Nothing unites teams together like a strong value system. These holiday activities are a great route to represent the company culture and core values. Whatever has been planned for the celebration, it can be built around the organization’s cultures and values so that everybody can understand and imbibe it. It’s important to revisit the values time and again to reinstate its importance. It also helps in giving a rundown of the company’s philosophies to the newcomers to let them understand its functioning better.

4. Group bonding activities

As much as it is important to have fun, teams can also have learning sessions. A good mix of entertaining and learning sessions can never go wrong. People can enjoy hackathons, creative events, short classes or masterclasses with expert talks, or training sessions. In fact, people can also participate in skill-sharing events where anybody with any skill can guide their peers and acquire new talent.

5. Networking

A managed workspace also offers another opportunity which standard offices cannot – and that is networking with other companies. Managed workspaces have breakout zones and chilling zones that can be used for inter-organizational networking sessions. Teams can get together for conjoined activities and have lunch or dinner together. It is a brilliant networking opportunity for individual growth or bringing new business. One of the best ways to accomplish this, as suggested by one of the Forbes articles is to facilitate short and socially focused events to inculcate a sense of community and build trust.

6. Special drives

Isn’t it better to kill two birds with one stone? The holidays can turn into an important time for the company if the leaders decide to launch a new product or a new release. Launching something new makes the holidays all the more special and auspicious. People also get to enjoy launch parties and discuss future possibilities. Another remarkable way of enjoying holiday time is doing charity and social service. Most of the companies have their CSR, and what better time to bring in positivity and ethereal vibes than the festive times. As suggested by an Inc. article, doing some good for others helps employees bond stronger and get into the holiday spirit better.

7. DIY workshops

Time to rekindle DIY talent. Let people reminisce the good old times of creating something new with their hands. Organizing various DIY workshops like painting, pottery, craftwork, baking, wood-crafting, and many such sessions take people back to their childhood and bring them closer to nature. Nothing can be better than these mindfulness sessions to heal and revive oneself from within.

Holiday celebrations can be fun and entertaining as well as learning and educational without having any pressure to perform better than others. It’s all in the good spirit and it is refreshing for the employees to have such celebrations periodically. Hence, companies need to grow this into a strong and sustainable culture.