WE MAY BE IN A RECESSION, BUT IT’S STILL THE FESTIVE PERIOD… OR IS IT? ALLISON PLAGER FINDS OUT
Christmas: what does it mean to you? ‘Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack frost nipping at your nose'?
Or is it more like Slade’s Merry Christmas, Everybody and waking up with a huge hangover after the office Christmas party?
But is the much looked-forward to office party a mere ghost of Christmas past this year? With the country still in recession, many companies are opting out of providing staff with a glittering event.
Quite apart from the cost, there is also perhaps the thought that it may be a trifle insensitive to celebrate lavishly if a firm has had to make employees redundant during the year or asked employees to take job-saving measures such as taking a pay cut or working reduced or more hours.
But come on, it is still Christmas. What happened to the season of goodwill? Surely it is still possible to have a good time and make everyone feel loved and appreciated without going mad on the budget?
Boundless options
‘There are several things that cash-strapped employers can do to make sure that employees still feel valued at Christmas’, says Georgiana Head of Georgiana Head Recruitment.
‘The most obvious starting point is to do the Christmas party but on a reduced scale. Instead of black tie or a formal restaurant, look at pubs with deals on. Tie it in with a festive pub quiz or a team-building walk through wintry countryside and mulled wine on arrival. Most restaurants are feeling the pinch this year and have special budget Christmas menus.’
On a practical level, Francesca Lagerberg, Grant Thornton’s head of tax, says ‘extra holiday is always welcome so if a big party is not viable what about offering people some additional time off? Cover can be maintained by staggering this over several weeks, but it gives people a chance to choose what time works well for them – particularly if they want to do some early Christmas shopping without the queues’.
Georgiana suggests that extra leave ‘could be combined with a gift, such as a bottle of wine or something traditional such as Christmas cake, or stilton cheese’. It would be a good idea to allow everyone to choose what they would like in advance to ensure they get what they want.
Think creatively
Why not use the opportunity for a little creative thinking?
Georgiana says that it’s nice to give your team something, ‘even if it’s just the partner buying each member a quirky Christmas decoration’.
Another idea to get your team in the festive spirit, she says, could be to ‘organise a festive desk competition, where every team member has to decorate their desk or intray in a festive manner. Have a grand top prize – something that people will get competitive, such as £100 worth of gift vouchers or a Christmas hamper. Perhaps, hold the judging on an afternoon with mince pies and festive fizz’.
An idea perhaps as much for next year as this (given the publication date of the magazine) is to organise an office Christmas advent calendar with a prize for each day of advent.
Georgiana says each employee’s name can be put in a draw for each date, with each prize being something along the lines of ‘a pair of tickets to a Christmas blockbuster film, or a “voucher” for an extra half-day’s holiday, or the senior partner making you coffee every morning for a week’.
Over to you
Alternatively, perhaps the team could choose what it wants to do.
As Francesca says, ‘A genuine gesture goes a long way so it pays to think about what would really mean something to the team. Often the best way to do this is simply to ask for suggestions, explain the budget constraints and then deliver something that everyone would really like’.
This could even double up as a team-building exercise, says Georgiana, ‘spend an afternoon getting staff and teams to present their ideas’.
Not just for Christmas
Georgiana comments that another way to get into the festive spirit is to organise an event to give something back. She says that ‘the homeless charity Shelter for example has a range of ideas on its website, such as carol singing and quiz nights’.
Perhaps on a more esoteric note, Carol McLachlan, the accountant’s coach, notes that reciprocation is a powerful concept. She cites Dr Robert Cialdini, an expert on persuasion and influence, who she says ‘believes that your giving should be “meaningful, tailored (ie personalised) and unexpected” and that the evidence shows you will be repaid. This means that your words of thanks, or a larger gesture such as lending personnel to an under-staffed colleague, will not only bear fruit today for your colleague and your company: in all likelihood, when you’re in trouble, your colleague will repay you in kind’.
With this in mind, the key to the office revelry this year is ‘do your research’, says Carol.
‘There are plenty of fun inexpensive ways to get your whole team feeling festive.’
As Francesca says, ‘Christmas is just one of many trigger points to remind people in your firm about the successes and value they have brought’.
