Team-building activities in the workplace are a great way to bring staff together for both recreation and development of new skills. The holidays, while a hectic time, are an especially great opportunity for team-building activities. Not only are they one of the most social times of the year, offering chances for Christmas parties and holiday gatherings, but they are also an opportunity to finish off the year, set new goals and move into the new year with great momentum.
Are you looking for Christmas party ideas or other holiday-themed activities? While attention needs to be given to offer inclusive and diverse activities no matter what the staff in your workplace celebrates, there are a number of great team-building ideas to end the year with useful and fun activities for everyone.
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Charitable Christmas team-building activities
Everyone loves giving and giving back. Charitable activities are a great idea all year long but especially so around the holidays when many are most in need. Consider gearing your team-building activity for good by volunteering at a soup kitchen or hosting a food, winter coat or toy drive.
Tip
Make sure to be inclusive in your holiday activities and offer options for and planning input from those celebrating holidays like Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, winter solstice and others.
Another great option are a number of adopt-a-family programs, which allow your staff to purchase items specifically for a family in need. Giving trees, which feature keepsake ornaments with requested toy items for kids in need, are a great way to bring in donations. Other fun charitable activities including writing notes or cards for a hospital or nursing home, volunteering at an animal shelter or hosting a charity bake sale in the office.
Creative holiday team-building activities
Team-building opportunities are a perfect way to not only express your creativity but also to garner new skills. Great activities for creative team-building activities include arts-focused fun, like museum visits, holiday cooking classes, arts and craft workshops and paint and sip activities after hours.
In the workplace, creative holiday activities include best Christmas cubicle or office door decorating, cookie exchanges or decorating parties and gingerbread house construction. Your team can also harness their creative vision by participating in more socially oriented activities, like Christmas carol karaoke, open mics or goofy and fun holiday PowerPoint presentations.
Virtual holiday team-building activities
If your workplace is largely working remotely or it's difficult to get everyone in one place at a time for in-person activities, virtual holiday activities may be the solution. Consider hosting virtual game nights using apps like Jackbox or online versions of games like Scrabble and Monopoly.
Tip
For virtual teams that may not all be working the same hours or shifts, try group activities that are nonsynchronous, like scavenger hunts that can be enjoyed by staff in different time zones and varying shifts.
Activities like virtual wine tastings and cooking classes over Zoom are a great opportunity to share in an activity from the comfort of home. Other engaging virtual team-building activities include online scavenger hunts and murder mysteries. These activities are often great ice breakers and fun ways to get to know other staff for remote teams. They make for a perfect virtual Christmas party.
Competitive holiday team-building activities
Nothing gives a team a creative boost like competitive activities, which often invite people to work together or separately to foster a healthy holiday spirit of competition that boosts morale. Casino nights, trivia rounds, holiday office party games and board game nights are perfect fun and engaging activities that offer socialization, maximize teamwork and foster the competitive spirit.
Office party ideas that are playfully competitive include hosting a bakeathon or cookie contest, a white elephant gift exchange, dressing up like a Christmas tree, and ugly sweater contest, secret Santa or a round of Christmas-themed bingo. The end of the year is also a great time to participate in out-of-office fun team activities, like bowling, arcade visits, ax throwing, escape rooms and other team-building games. These activities are great, whether you are offering prizes for the winners or just office bragging rights.
The holidays are a perfect time to offer your staff a chance to build new relationships with team members, to garner new skills and to find new ways of looking at the work they do together, and it's a good opportunity to bring a team together for team-building holiday party activities. After the holiday season, you'll be primed and ready to continue those relationships and hard work well beyond the new year!