The Water Cooler: Tips for New DCs Robert Perkes, DC Every year I hear a version of the following from my friends:
“I have the money to either do a Holiday party or give end-of-year bonuses. How do I make the holidays special without going into debt?”
There never seems to be enough money at the end of the year. Your kids want gifts, your spouse wants a vacation and your staff wants some appreciation too. How do you make everyone happy without breaking your bank?
The cheapest way I have found has been to have an office dessert potluck on a work afternoon. I have found most people have a favorite dessert and people enjoy showing off for each other. It also allows your staff to bring a bit of themselves to the office. I offer to pay for any materials staff need to prepare their desserts. I have found giving everyone a twenty dollar bill is usually sufficient. Not everyone’s favorite dessert is homemade. The triple decker Costco chocolate cake always shows up at our office party.
We close our office for a few hours and eat a home cooked meal together. It doesn’t consume anyone’s busy holiday evenings and weekends. You save money by not inviting and feeding spouses this way. In the past, I have prepared food on the BBQ or had my wife cook a few of our favorite meals. Your family favorites can quickly become office favorites too.
We make it a goal to get everyone that needs to be in that week scheduled around the party hours. If we hit our goal everyone stays on the clock during the party. We rarely lose production this way. Working toward a common goal also helps build your team. Extra bonus — everyone loves to get paid to party.
After we eat and enjoy everyone’s dessert we play some office games. There are many online; searching for a few minutes will
help you find some that fit your staff. Try to find ones that require movement and interaction between your staff. Most required supplies can be purchased at the dollar store and anything expensive can be reused next year. I have a tote full of games and supplies we use every year at this point. Feel free to email me for a list of the ones that we use.(
rperkesdc@gmail.com)
I reward everyone that plays our team games. If they participate they get a prize. It helps with team building and participation. I get gift cards from local businesses or Costco. Winners get something like dinner and a movie and non-winners get coffee or fast food. People love prizes and earning them makes it even better.
I generally buy bulk $50 Amazon gift cards for everyone as a gift. They can use it for something they want or to buy something for someone on their list. I have found that everyone likes and uses them.
I write every single person a personalized thank you card. I specifically name things they have done and traits or skills they bring to our office. People love to be genuinely seen and appreciated. This can take a lot of time. I set aside about ten minutes per employee. I write all of these cards over the Thanksgiving holiday. I start a document a few weeks before then and spend a day thinking about each employee. This exercise will help you appreciate your employees and their unique gifts.
These thank you cards are by far the best tradition I have established for my team. They love them. I know they keep them and come find me the day of the party to get theirs. If I had no money to throw a party or reward people with a bonus, I would still write these cards.
Ple x us
Oct/No v
2023
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