The corporate lifestyle has many pros and cons and some people love working in a corporate office, while others can’t imagine being lodged in a cubicle. Whether you love it or you hate it, there are ways to get everyone involved in what goes on in a corporation. With constant stress from a 9-5 during the workweek, comes the loss of productivity, focus, and an increase in potential health conditions, and a way to combat this is by making the dreariness of corporate life a little brighter. There are many ways to combat stress in the workplace, and many corporate companies are starting to invest more time and money into celebrations.

Office events allow everyone to take a break from the daily grind and focus on team building or simply relaxing. There are many different types of events you can celebrate in the workplace, including work anniversaries, the end of a successful project, and holidays. Work events are a great way to celebrate your employees, boosting engagement, morale, and productivity and improving retention rates with employee perks. Wondering how to celebrate events in your office? Check out these ideas:

HOLIDAY PARTIES

You may already give your employees the day off for most major holidays. However, you can take it a step further by celebrating the holidays the day before to boost employee morale and team spirit. Holiday parties are a great time to reward and recognize employees for their hard work. In addition, since Christmas occurs towards the end of the year, a holiday party can give you another opportunity to thank employees for their work throughout the year.

Office Christmas parties don’t have to be extravagant. In most cases, your employees will appreciate a party where they all bring delicious treats and forget about work for a few hours while hanging out with their co-workers.

One thing to keep in mind is that you shouldn’t make after-hours holiday parties mandatory. Many of your employees have families or commitments, especially around the holidays, that will prevent them from being able to enjoy themselves at a work party. Instead of making your employees spend their free time with their employer and co-workers, have a holiday party while the business is open. If you have a lot of work to complete before major holidays, you can have a holiday party for the second half of the work day, allowing employees behind on deadlines to continue their work at any point during the day.

For Christmas parties, consider doing a gift exchange or giving your employees personalized gifts to highlight their successes.

Holiday parties aren’t limited to federal holidays, either. You can celebrate any holiday in your office, including Halloween. Many of your employees might appreciate the opportunity to wear a costume instead of their regular business attire.

MONTHLY POTLUCKS

Even if your employees don’t know it, you have monthly goals. When you achieve those goals, consider having a potluck to thank everyone for their hard work. Potlucks are another great way to create a better work environment by allowing employees to build relationships, and these celebrations don’t take too much time out of your workday. Instead, your employees can bring their favourite foods to the office to share during an extended lunch. Then, when the potluck is over, your employees can return to their desks for the rest of their workday.

LOTTERIES

While you should always reward employees for their hard work, you can also reward them with a lottery day in which they all have an equal opportunity to win prizes like vacation days, concert tickets, gym memberships, and more. Lottery days are a great way to get your employees involved, especially those who feel they may be left out.

CHARITY PARTIES

You should always show your employees you care about them, the environment, and social issues. Charity parties allow you to demonstrate your commitment to different causes rather than simply stating them in your employee handbook. Employees are more likely to be engaged and happy when their employers’ values align with their own. Plus, many of your employees work full-time and have other commitments at home, limiting their time to get involved with charities.

A charity office party can help you build better company culture while making the world better. Even though these events are about more than just your employees, they’ll appreciate that you’re making a difference and allowing them to get involved.

VIRTUAL GATHERINGS

Many offices have gone remote or have a hybrid workplace, so your employees may not always be at the office simultaneously. If you can’t have a regular office event, you can still have one virtually. Believe it or not, there are many team-building activities to try on Zoom or Microsoft Teams, including Jeopardy and Trivia. In addition, you can simply have a virtual coffee gathering in the morning to check in with your workers and let them talk to one another on a more personal level.

FINAL THOUGHTS

There are many ways to celebrate events in your office, so forget about the annual pizza party. Instead, try to think of something new and exciting to engage your employees and make them feel valued. If you’re unsure which idea on this list would resonate most with your employees, consider sending a survey to get their thoughts and ideas for how to celebrate events in your office.