We live in a hypercompetitive world where everyone is competing against everyone else. We have also embraced flexible work models, where some people work from the office and some work from home. Both things can make it harder for employees and teams to build strong connections. However, an office Christmas party can provide an excellent opportunity to build these connections. Here are a few ways it can do so.
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It Allows Personal Conversations
Unless in very specific settings and circumstances, most employees only talk to other employees about their work. Talking about lives outside work is often frowned upon. A Christmas office party can help solve this. A Christmas party allows people to talk to each other in a relaxed environment, certainly one more relaxed than the office. Team members can open up and talk to each other about anything they like and leave work behind even for a few hours.
These candid conversations lead to better understanding and insight which can improve internal relations within teams. The end of these conversations can leave team members feeling more like friends than the colleagues they were before they talked so candidly.
It Can Give Employees Something to Work Towards Together
For team members who might not have had much interaction throughout the year, getting things started can be difficult. This is why it is a good idea to give employees something to work towards. These are called icebreaker activities, and the team will have achieved something together by the time they complete them.
Fun team-building exercises such as treasure hunts can be a good addition to your office Christmas parties, allowing employees to work as a team towards a common goal. Although this is something your employees have already been doing by working together, things are different here because the tasks are much more relaxed.
You can pick people from the same team or different departments when forming the teams. This provides opportunities for people to mingle in ways they normally would not. By working together towards a common goal and mingling like this, you help create stronger bonds between people in the different teams.
It is a Time for Recognition and Appreciation
Everyone in your team has likely been working very hard over the past 12 months. People love to be appreciated and rewarded for their work, especially if it is their peers doing it. A Christmas party is the perfect time to reward and appreciate team members because it is also a time to reflect on what they have achieved in the past year.
People who feel appreciated are more likely to want to be a more integral part of the team, while also working harder to show their appreciation is warranted. The result is stronger bonds and improved productivity throughout the team.
It Allows Everyone to Meet Everyone Else
Today’s teams are very disjointed because, as mentioned above, many companies and businesses have embraced hybrid or remote work models. A Christmas office party is a great time to bring everyone together in the same locations. Team members can talk for the first time in person in cases where they have been talking through video, audio and email.
Additionally, these parties provide an opportunity to meet and mingle with the management team. People often forget that the management team is part of the team, but management is often looked at separately. Forging great relationships between the management team and the rest of the team can help create bonds that spread throughout the company.
A Christmas party is one of the best team-building activities and events a business can host. It brings everyone together, allowing them to mingle and converse in ways that would not be possible otherwise.
