Planning the office Christmas party weighing on your mind? Are you looking for budget-friendly ways to give your staff the day they deserve after a year’s hard work, whilst still keeping them sober and accountable? The good news is that there’s a rising trend around consuming less alcohol – which leaves your office party cleaner, less expensive, and with less risk.
As more people embrace a sober lifestyle, typical office parties are becoming a challenge for many people to attend. Introducing a new outlook to the way in which we celebrate the end of the year isn’t difficult – it simply takes a little planning and a little research. Choosing the perfect way to spend the day should involve gauging the interests of your teams and working with that. Here are some of the winning ideas that have stayed in the minds of employees for years after the Office Christmas Party;
1. A Catered Lunch
When you keep it classy, your staff are inclined to make better judgement calls. A catered lunch moves the focus from drinking and replaces it with food. A traditional Christmas lunch is everyone’s favourite – it brings back fond childhood memories. Employees who look forward to a boozy night will not feel short-changed in the least, everyone loves food. The bonus of enjoying a super-indulgent meal without any accompanying alcohol is that the sleepy feeling following the food is significantly reduced. Serve low-alcohol beverages alongside the meals in order to satisfy the craving for something crisp and cool.
2. Inhouse gaming
As millennials dominate the workplace, office trends are changing. There is a greater number of enthusiastic online gamers than ever before. As a result, online games are often a primary conversation topic in office environments. An inhouse gaming event should allow members of your team to compete – there’s interesting research to suggest that introducing an element of competitiveness in extracurricular activities among colleagues increases productivity. Events like this are truly unique – throw in some snacks, low-alcohol beverages, and the hardware and let the fun take care of itself.
3. Leave the Office: Murder Mystery Dinners
Who said an office party should be hosted at the office? Leave the building and enjoy a jolly and festive Murder Mysteries Dinner. Public spaces are naturally no-drinking zones, giving your employees the opportunity to immerse themselves in dinner alongside an activity that’s likely to render intrigue, mind games, and great amusement, A Murder Mysteries Dinner will inspire those inner detectives to step into the light.
4. Laser Tag
Are your teams young and energetic? They’ll love laser tag! Are they older and less adventurous? Good – take them out for a game of laser tag. This game is a low-risk, high fun way to get everyone’s hearts pumping while you encourage the rawest and truest team building bonds to form. Refreshments can be served in the form of low-alcohol ciders, beers, and wines. The benefits of low alcohol drinks are that your team can enjoy the taste of their favourite drink without compromising their skills or breaking the no-alcohol rules at a public venue. Followed with a light lunch, a day out of this office will stay on everyone’s lips for years to come. Considering there was no need to clean up at the office, you’re on the winning side in terms of budget and expenditure, too.
Remember the Spirit of the Occasion
Whether you’re calling it a Christmas Party of an End of Year Celebration, it is important to remember that it’s an event to thank your staff for their dedication and hard work throughout the year. The benefits of planning such an event, for the company, include improved morale (which leads to lowered staff turnover), vastly more productive teams and better company culture. Ultimately, each of these elements leads to more profitability. It is safe to say that an