Christmas Celebrations: Office Party Vs Corporate Retreat
Christmas celebrations in the workplace are not uncommon, but corporate retreats are becoming more and more common nowadays. However, lots of people remain skeptical about corporate retreats while others dread their office Christmas celebration. [Related topics: special events]
So, how do you know which one is best for you and your colleagues? That will depend on a few different factors that you’ll have to evaluate. For example, what’s the budget your company has for this event or reatretat, what kind of activities you and your co-workers are into and what’s the level of camaraderie in your workplace.
If the work environment is not pleasant or your coworkers don’t get along with each other, the last thing they’ll want to do is go on a retreat with people they don’t like, perhaps they would even prefer to skip any office Christmas event altogether, but given that your office environment is nice enough and a Christmas celebration would be welcome, what’s the appropriate kind of celebration for your team.
Well, consider this: a successful corporate celebration should please the majority without excluding the minorities. For example, if the majority of the staff has children they might not feel very comfortable going to a retreat for an entire weekend without their families. If the majority of staff is young an adventurous they will probably prefer a retreat somewhere they can practice a sport or go on a thrilling hike in the wild, for those who are not too keen on exploring the wilderness they could enjoy the retreat chilling at a cabin.
Choosing the right kind of Christmas celebration depends a lot on what the goals, preferences and aspirations of your team are. Remember that although it is a celebration, it’s still within the context professionalism, therefore the activity should be aimed at promoting team-building and further each one of your employees career, whether it is by making them feel more comfortable and integrated with their coworkers or by helping them develop a higher sense of loyalty and appreciation for the values of your company.
Any idea for a Christmas party in the workplace is valid, just make sure to keep it cool with the booze and maintain certain boundaries. If you are struggling to find cool ideas for a corporate retreat, take into consideration what the people on your staff would enjoy the most and make sure that won’t be a turn-off for the minorities on the team.
Some people like to go camping or spend an outdoors day running competitions like obstacle races or tug-o-wars. Others prefer going on a hike or organising a food and drinks-related event such as wine tastings at vineyards or microbrewery tours. Just choose the one that makes more sense for your team.