For most people, the Holidays are a magical time. They’re a time for celebrating who and what is important to us, and they’re generally spent with loved ones, eating delicious food, exchanging gifts, and making memories. I know I look forward to them every year, it’s when we’re most likely to get the whole family together. I’ve noticed every year though, that in the haze of buying the perfect gift for everyone in the family and organizing travel plans, people tend to almost forget their coworkers exist.
It makes sense, most people understand the sense of urgency that comes before a bit of time off work and a family get-together; but it’s also unfortunate and a little ironic. In this time set for us to be truly appreciative of those who are important to us, we rush about and ignore those that we spend the most time with. Most people spend 40 hours a week (over 2,000 hours a year!) with their coworkers, making them some of the people that they see most often. Knowing that, and knowing how important it is to cultivate good relationships with those coworkers, it only stands to reason that we should take some time out of our Holiday season to appreciate them too.
This doesn’t mean that we should necessarily go out and buy them lavish gifts or take them home to have dinner with our families, but everyone likes to be thought of, and it’s never too hard to include coworkers in our Holiday fun. The why is clear, but the how depends on your workplace. In some work cultures, a small gift is perfectly appropriate. If Janice from Sales always seems to have a dead pen, a simple pack of ballpoints says “Hey, I thought about you and decided to try and make your life that much better.” If a gift would be inappropriate, make an attempt to share an experience together. Getting the team together and saying “Happy holidays, I’m glad this time spent at work is time we spend together, let’s all go do something fun” and following through should make for an experience nobody forgets, and where everybody feels appreciated.
If you’re looking for something particularly fun to do once you’ve got everybody together, we know just the way to celebrate!
