With Christmas and the end of 2020 quickly approaching, now is the time for business leaders and HR to be thinking about how they can thank their staff for what’s been a very tough year. Budgets are no doubt tight and saving jobs will be a priority over Christmas bonuses, but ‘thank you’ doesn’t have to always come with a high price tag. A little bit of creativity and thought will go a long way in letting people know they are appreciated.

Labour MP, Chris Evans, made headlines earlier this month with the suggestion that businesses could redirect the funds they’d usually spend on a work Christmas party into bonuses for their staff.* For organisations that can afford to do this, it’s a great way to still celebrate the end of the year and to give staff the value of a Christmas party without meeting face to face. It’s also a symbolic gesture – an acknowledgement that a Christmas party is for the workforce, and that the funds earmarked for it should therefore be given to the guests of honour – the staff!

But for some organisations, giving the money that would have been for the Christmas party to staff just isn’t feasible. In such a scenario, HR can work with the business to come up with other ways to engage with staff over this unusual holiday season.

Virtual Christmas parties

It might be tempting for some businesses to just forget about Christmas parties altogether this year. But not being able to meet face to face doesn’t mean end-of-year celebrations have to be ditched. HR should encourage their business to set time aside for a virtual celebration.

An online party doesn’t have to match the duration of a Christmas dinner – and indeed, businesses should be mindful that parents who have been juggling work and childcare won’t welcome a virtual event that carries on into family time – but dedicating an hour or two (of work time) to an end-of-year celebration video call gives managers an opportunity to thank staff for their hard work and acknowledge what’s been achieved over the past year.

Some companies use their end-of-year party to give out staff awards. A virtual meeting can facilitate this, too, so people can still be publicly recognised, even if it is sans mulled wine and Christmas pudding.

Extra time off

Some organisations have already announced that they will be giving their staff additional annual leave this December.** For businesses who can do this, gifting staff with some extra time off over Christmas/New Year this year is an action that will probably be very much appreciated.

If it’s not possible to give your staff extra days of leave, you could consider giving your people an additional morning or afternoon off, anytime in December. This will help ensure that everyone isn’t off at the same time, while giving people something to look forward to.

Christmas cards

When was the last time your organisation sent out Christmas cards to staff? For most businesses, it would have been a long time ago.

If your HR team has the capacity to lead on this, and your headcount isn’t too high, why not consider buying boxes of charity Christmas cards (supporting both a good cause and wishing your people a happy holiday at the same time), and asking available members of your HR team to coordinate handwritten cards to be sent to all staff members? For HR teams who are facing a quiet December, this could be a great way to engage with the workforce.

If costs or time prohibit you from being able to send hand-written Christmas cards to your staff, organising a digital card is a must. Remembering that people will likely have leave booked over December, aim to have your digital card designed and ready to go by mid-December to have the most impact. Think about ways you can personalise the card – perhaps each department could have its own version, including pictures of staff.

Senior business leaders closing out the year

In many businesses, it’s not unusual for the CEO or other senior business leaders to walk around the worksite on Christmas Eve to wish people a Merry Christmas, to say thank you to their workforce for the year, and to give them the okay to head on home a bit earlier than normal. With increased off-site working now, there’s a danger that informal interactions like this might be lost.

This year, HR could work with senior business leaders in early December on a pre-recorded video message, or a live webinar, to be broadcast on Christmas Eve, that takes the place of this final message before the holiday break. Granted, not all people will be on leave over Christmas, and not all businesses will close, but it’s still a good time for senior leaders to publicly say thank you and happy holidays!

Don’t let off-site working or COVID-19 demands stop your HR team and senior business leaders from finishing 2020 showing gratitude and appreciation for your workforce. Regardless of how it’s done, giving thanks and credit where it’s due will go a very long way in helping your staff end the year on a high note.

* https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13137083/bosses-pay-workers-no-christmas-party/

** https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/18870176.extra-christmas-holidays-staff-wickes/

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/money/6298779/home-bargains-extra-pay-boxing-day-off/