Editor’s Note: The holiday season is here, and TLNT is again getting into the spirit with some classic past holiday posts. Look for them until Christmas Eve.
I have thought about this for years, and I finally decided to write about this because several people have approached me already this year about dreading their office holiday party.
So I’m going to say it: Most people hate your holiday party.
To the executives and the people who help plan these things, please consider the following:
So when you are planning your holiday party, I suggest you first consider your real desired outcome.
Is it to:
If your only motivation is to thank people, I humbly suggest you take the per-head budget for the party and just give people gift cards.
If you really want to achieve your desired outcome, deliver the gift cards personally to each employee and thank them personally for something specific they did. Tell them how their effort helped you or the business this year.
Does that sound harder than having someone arrange a party? Yep, but it gets you your desired outcome.
If your desired outcome is to motivate people, do something that makes their job more meaningful.
Remember, a party will never be the thing that motivates 100 percent of your people.
If your desired outcome is team building, and you believe that a holiday party is a good opportunity to get your team together, then perhaps you are on the right track.
But please, just don’t do it on the weekend.
If you sent out a confidential survey and asked people to rank in order which things they would prefer for the holiday celebration and gave them the choices of:
Well, no one would choose the weekend.
What you are basically saying by having your holiday celebration on the weekend is that, “It’s not enough for me to tell you what to do during the work week. I also need you to demonstrate your loyalty to me by giving up weekend time during the busiest time of the year in your personal life.”
I’m not saying don’t have a holiday party. I’m just saying please respect your employees, and don’t pretend that a weekend party in December is a perk.
Show people that you are doing this for THEM. Make it an actual perk. Make them feel appreciated and motivated by making it convenient and fun, respecting their personal time, and giving them a break from work.
And if you don’t want to give them a break from work, well, give them a gift card instead.
This was originally published on Patty Azzarello’s Business Leadership Blog. Her latest book is Rise: Practical Steps for Advancing Your Career, Standing Out as a Leader, and Liking Your Life.
