New Ways to Appreciate Your Employees this Holiday Season

With this year continuing to greatly impact employees and their mental health, it’s more important than ever for employers to support their employees by helping them destress and decompress this holiday season. Emphasizing the importance of taking time off, while also offering mental health, wellness, and social opportunities for employees will set companies apart from the rest as we start the new year.

Supporting Your Employees

Employers are working hard to find ways to help their employees this holiday season and show their appreciation. One of the biggest ways is organizing team-based initiatives to bring everyone together to help give back to the community while creating team building opportunities. Studies have shown that the more companies bring their employees together for group initiatives, the higher retention rate they will have. This has pushed employers to get creative with new opportunities to bring their employees together safely this season.

Celebrating Company Holidays

While the pandemic has changed the way companies celebrate the holidays, many employers are looking for new ways to continue to spread the cheer through holiday parties.  Since there is still a risk of gathering in-person due to unvaccinated employees or those at high risk, many are still emphasizing virtual options while some are looking to try events in-person. Many who are choosing to host their parties in person are protecting employees by requiring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test to attend. Some employers have also chosen to have a hybrid option for those comfortable attending and wanting to celebrate with others, while also offering the event virtually for those not ready to socialize in person.

As some companies have lowered their budgets or gone fully remote due to COVID-19, many are working hard to create ways to bring their employees together and celebrate what they have endured and accomplished over the year. Employers believe that having a holiday party allows their employees to be rewarded for the challenges their staff overcame in 2021. For example, Assurance has chosen a virtual route with a choose-your-own-adventure. We gave employees four experience options that will be shipped to the comfort of their homes prior to the event. One option, “Tacos and Tequila” will include a Top Chef winner guiding employees through creating a chicken street taco recipe. On the other hand, a large Chicago-based company has decided to move forward with a party in-person and has chosen a big venue to allow their employees to distance from each other while attending.

With new ways to spread holiday cheer, it’s given companies more opportunities to create lasting relationships. Management teams are focusing on creative efforts to express their appreciation through opportunities such as online gatherings or employee recognition events.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michelle Lodl

Michelle Lodl is the Vice President of Human Resources at Assurance. Her main responsibility is to develop Assurance’s current and future leaders, recruit top insurance talent and enable business scalability while maintaining a “Best Place to Work” culture. Michelle received her MBA from Loyola University in Chicago, and her Bachelor of Arts degree from Carroll University. Michelle currently holds her Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification. She is a member of the Society for Human Resources Management, HR Management Association of Chicago, and regularly volunteers with Feed My Starving Children and Junior Achievement of Chicago.