With the holidays approaching, people begin to look forward to family get-togethers and holiday parties. To share in your employee’s holiday cheer, it’s important to emulate this feeling in your company’s unique holiday events. It is also important to plan events throughout the year, not just during the holidays. Anyone can host a Christmas Party, but if you only have one event once a year, that’s not necessarily creating something special for your company. Employee events have numerous benefits. They encourage camaraderie outside of the office, they show that you care about the welfare of your employees and they can create beloved traditions that are anticipated throughout the year.

Let’s face it; work can be stressful. When you see someone in the same environment day in and day out, it can get a little old. But by offering employees opportunities to hang out during off hours, you give them the ability to forget about work and get to know one-another better. This is done with the goal of creating a culture where everyone can respect and get along with one another. If you never get a break from the stress, there is nothing else for you to pull from.

Building closer relationships with co-workers can also increase productivity because it induces a team environment, and people generally do better work for people they like, because they are more invested. It’s also a great idea to invite employee’s spouses, significant others, children and families to certain events. This will aid in the process of building relationships. Co-workers begin to know more about each other and can become invested in each other’s lives, especially during significant life events like engagements, weddings and births.

Planning company events is a very nice way of showing appreciation for your employees. It doesn’t have to be a huge affair- cater in a lunch, plan a happy hour, or send the girls on a mani/pedi night out. These small gestures go a long way. The more personal you can make them, the better.

Creating traditions out of the events is a great way to create a sense of anticipation for events and doing so can set you apart from other companies. Having the same events each year creates consistency, which can turn into a form of loyalty. Plan the same events around the same time every year. Do things in those events that may change in theme, but not in spirit. The summertime is a perfect opportunity for a barbecue. Host a ‘doggie-day-out’ during the spring for employees to bring their dogs to a dog park or animal-friendly restaurant. And Halloween is the perfect opportunity to bring together the kiddos and see their cute costumes and allow them to go trick-or-treating throughout the office. Thanksgiving lunch can also be a fun way to see which employees are successful in the kitchen and which are more comfortable in the grocery store!

The Culture Counts blog is a discussion of law firm culture and legal innovation, including topics such as effective leadership, employee engagement, workplace culture, ideal work environment, company core values, and workplace productivity.  

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Klemchuk LLP is a litigation, intellectual property, transactional, and international business law firm dedicated to protecting innovation. The firm provides tailored legal solutions to industries including software, technology, retail, real estate, consumer goods, ecommerce, telecommunications, restaurant, energy, media, and professional services. The firm focuses on serving mid-market companies seeking long-term, value-added relationships with a law firm. Learn more about experiencing law practiced differently and our local counsel practice.

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