..And why it's not too late to organise one!
Here in the UK, Christmas is the main party season of the year with the lead up beginning as early as September when the shops start stocking food and gifts to prompt you to be organised and buy early.
People often start making plans for the festive season months ahead of schedule, especially if they have family further away or people with competing schedules to organise.
The anticipation of a Christmas party starts amongst your staff many weeks before the date and the pay-off for your business can last for many months to come - well into the following year, after the sore heads have healed and the funny stories have been told.
Read on to find out 5 ways a Christmas party is an important, and good value, investment for your business for the coming year!
1. Team building and boosting morale
With the explosion of hybrid - or even completely remote – working since the Covid-19 pandemic, employees are becoming more isolated and disconnected from those they work with. A Christmas party is the perfect excuse to get everyone together to share some fun and make some more meaningful, in-person connections. For those who work together in person all the time, it’s a chance to see people in a different light, having fun, being relaxed and this can be a great benefit to team cohesion.
2. Boosting staff loyalty and productivity
With political and economic upheaval, health crises, inflation and cost of living crisis, in recent years businesses have often been unable to provide pay rises that match inflation and have had to make many difficult choices to stay in business. However, staff members stay loyal and work hard for a company for more reasons than salary alone. Creating a great working atmosphere and making staff feel valued can go a very long way to keep staff loyal, motivated and happy in their roles. Treating your staff to a great Christmas party or event is the perfect way to say ‘thank you for your hard work this year’, and this message will stay with your staff well into the new year and beyond.
3. Creating new connections
A staff party levels the playing field amongst roles and ranks within a company, as well as bringing people together from across departments. With people in a good mood, now is a great time for new connections to form as people socialise with people they otherwise wouldn’t see often, if at all. This can deepen relationships in a way emails, phone calls and zoom meetings do not. It can feel very different emailing a colleague you know in person rather than just looking at an email address on screen.
4. Tackling mental health concerns and isolation
Loneliness is becoming a major problem in modern society, and it’s no longer the elderly who are typically experiencing it. Offering your staff an opportunity to socialise may be a relatively rare opportunity for some people without a friendship circle who are often maybe too busy caring for relatives, struggling with social anxiety or who are new to the area, and so on. If the event is a work event there may be more incentive to make the effort to attend and knowing the people who will be there can help to remove barriers some people may face, allowing people to feel involved and part of a social group.
5. Anticipation to boost morale in the final quarter
Summer is over and grey skies, dark nights and cold days are upon us, but having something to look forward to as a team helps people to power through towards the end of the year. Ideally, you have the party organised, with the date and details shared with staff, well ahead of schedule, but if not, you'll now worry the best venues and deals are low on availability. You can still find great places, but an event agency, like ReEvention, will have better access, better rates and better knowledge to prevent you tearing your hair out with endless internet searches and enquiries!
Its not too late..
Many Christmas office parties are organise as early as August, but even if Bonfire Night has come and gone and you haven’t organised anything, it’s not too late. Here at ReEvention we have a wealth of contacts and experience, so your Christmas party or Christmas social event can be organised in a fraction of the time it would take you, or one of your own staff members, to plan and arrange. Don't waste your own hours or your employee time, give us a call today to see how we can help. Remember, you can even have a Christmas party in the new year to beat the January blues, many people do
..but next year, come to us early!
Whether you decide to have a Christmas party this year, or not, you can now give some consideration for next year. Pop a date in your diary to give ReEvention a call in August or September and we can help you get the best venues, rates and experiences.
You can even contact us today at hello@reevention.co.uk and we will put it in our diary to give you a call next year.
Christmas parties as marketing tools
One last thing – have you considered a Christmas party for your existing, and potential, clients?
We always think about the office or company Christmas party, for the employees, but there is also a great marketing opportunity in hosting a Christmas event for your clients and customers. The scale and type of event will vary a lot depending on business type and size, but goodwill, improved connections, client loyalty and even new business can all be fostered with a Christmas event. If you would like to host an event for your clients and potential clients we can help there too.
Get in touch today to look at some ideas and budgets! Email us at hello@reevention.co.uk.