Feature – Are Christmas Parties the Best Way to Motivate Your Staff & How Much Should You be willing to Invest ?

Article - Andrew Cook, director of sales at leading prize promotion specialist, Unmissable, replies…

The spin we have taken on this is based on the fact that the most common time for people to look for new jobs is in January after the Xmas / New Year holiday break. If you are going to organise a Xmas party / event then you might as well try and do something that will be innovative and create a positive image of the company in the employees mind.

1. Why would an employer choose an Unmissable solution over a competitor’s – or, indeed, over an entirely different type of ‘Xmas event / party’ ?

The types of solutions we provide tap into people’s aspirations – The business was initially established to introduce people to experiences they didn’t know were possible to do or if they did, they had no idea how to get access to them. The uniqueness of what we offer ensures that the event / incentives we provide live long in the memory and enable employers to give their staff a chance to do something they might not ordinarily be bale to experience.

2. The Xmas party scene

Too many Xmas parties are dull boring and organised last minute which usually means they are a boozy lunch somewhere followed by a bar or nightclub or more commonly people going there separate drunken ways by about 5 ‘o’ clock, with a little bit more planning and imagination there are a number of alternative ideas you can arrange for your staff not all of which have to cost the earth. By taking into account the dynamic of your group and their preferences it’s not too difficult to come up with something that is not only is tailored to their tastes but more importantly will leave staff with a positive impression of the company over the holiday period, which in turn will make them far less sceptical about coming back to work in the new Year. It’s all about portraying a positive image that you as an employer actually care about your staff and want to genuinely reward them for their efforts.

It is a fact that the large majority of people look for new jobs after the Xmas / New Year break the whole mentality is …”It’s a new year let’s look for a new job” If a an employee you can ensure your employees leave for the holiday season with a positive impression of the company then you greatly reduce the potential of loosing staff come January. This is why it’s so vital to do something innovative for your Xmas party.

3) What would we suggest?

Clearly every budget is different and not everyone can afford to spend big bucks on entertaining their staff, this in essence is not the point, the issue is whether or not you are perceived by your employees as trying to organise an event / party they will enjoy and that has been given some thought. A last minute lunch and night in the pub will come across as just that and whilst it’s nice to get a few free drinks the comments form employees will probably point out that exactly the same was done last year and that no effort has been made. We have come up with a few ideas for a variety of budgets:

i) Smaller budget:

Clearly not everyone will have huge budgets to play but that needn’t be an issue there are still novel events you can organise. For the cost of a lunch and free drinks all night in the pub / clubs, you could easily have a night taking a group to train to be cocktail experts where they get they get the chance to learn how to mix cocktails - whilst trying them out - name them and even have a competition amongst themselves to create the best new cocktail. Alternatively you can hire a venue and have a private screening of a new film prior to it’s general release and then go onto a restaurant / bar afterwards.

ii) Mid size budget:

Why not hire a venue and turn it into a novel Xmas celebration, let’s face it we all get bored of having turkey and stuffing for 2 weeks – why not have an Ozzie style Xmas and turn your venue into a beach BBQ Xmas party. Alternatively whilst it would mean no drinking until after the event you could have an Italian Job day with a gold heist or maybe hire a top class wine sommelier to host a wine tasting event with prizes.

iii) Large budget:

Take the workforce down to a studio for the day and learn to be professional stuntmen and women – we can arrange everything from a game of Quidditch with the actual Harry Potter flying squad through to stunt driving skills and learning the art of the high fall and pub brawl, to top \it all off you could even have an action sequence packed with your staff filmed for a Xmas present giveaway.

There are a multitude of events that can be organised both in the UK and overseas, which with just a little thought and preparation can go a long way to making your employees feel valued and part of a team. The sense of being and positive impression they will have about the company over the holiday season will undoubtedly give you a head start come January when the hard slog starts all over again.

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For further information, please contact:
Jane Lowen, The Press Office, 01580 764721
jtlowen@aol.com