The series of unfortunate economic events, from extended lockdowns and closing of businesses to hyperinflation and shortage of necessities, has resulted in hitting an all-time low in employee motivation. But with the festive season and holidays, employers have a great opportunity to motivate employees.
If, like other businesses, you are also throwing a Christmas or New Year’s party for your employees, make the most of it by utilizing it to increase employee motivation. Here are some tips that can help:
Throw the Party Using Company Funds
Let’s clarify – asking employees for funds for Christmas or New Year’s parties is exploitative. Employees don’t owe any monetary help to the organization they work for. In fact, they contribute their time and skills to the company’s growth in return for monetary benefits.
Therefore, asking employees to contribute to the office party in cash, food, décor, or anything else is completely unjustified. An office party only requires a fraction of the company’s profit over the year. Increasing employee motivation begins with maintaining it, and avoiding pressuring employees to give money to the company can help with that.
If your company hasn’t made enough profit to pay for a party, don’t throw one. Instead of an office party, give paid holiday leaves to employees so they can enjoy as they want.
Remember that Gifts Trickle Down
Don’t force your employees to remind you of the rule that gifts trickle down. While generally, the rule is applied by age, it is applied by the workplace hierarchy. This means bosses give gifts to their team members, and never should employers or managers ask for or expect gifts from junior employees.
Since gifting every employee can add up quickly and lead to biased attitudes, setting a budget per gift can help. For example, an upper limit of $20 for each employee’s gift allows for budget-friendly and ethical gift exchange across the company. While the company must pay for the gifts, assigning managers and team leads the responsibility to pick gifts for their team members can also help choose practical and personalized gifts that can enhance employee motivation.
Count Party Attendance as Work Hours
Unless your company has an exemplary work culture with strong work friendships, there is a high chance the employees wouldn’t be willing to attend office parties. After all, the holiday season is all about family and friends, who are always a priority compared to coworkers.
But an office party, especially during the festive season, can be a great opportunity to promote employee communication, leading to work friendships and high employee motivation. Therefore, count party hours as work hours to tempt your employees to attend them. Employee motivation increases when they get paid to talk to coworkers, eat, and drink.
Lastly, don’t make attending the office party an obligation. Not everyone can spend as much time with their family as they want in routine life. These employees may look forward to catching up with family members over the holidays and forget about work altogether. Allow employees to spend the holiday season as they like for noticeably high employee motivation after the holidays.
