How to make remote workers feel included at holiday parties this year
By Mita Mallick
Holiday parties are back. And many companies are ready to celebrate in person. According to a recent survey from Challenger, Gray, & Christmas, a global career transition firm, 56.9% of companies are planning on in-person holiday parties, up from 26.6% in 2021.
Even with recession fears mounting, holiday parties remain an important investment. It can be a great opportunity to celebrate and recognize your teams, while continuing to foster community and engagement among employees.
But as you plan that ugly sweater contest, order festive cookies, and inspire people to exchange gifts, don’t forget about your remote population. According to a recent McKinsey study, 58% of employees work from home full-time or part-time. And some of these individuals may not be close enough to the office to travel in for in-person festivities.
Here are three ways we can all make our remote colleagues feel included at holiday parties this year:
1. Host a remote portion of your party
If you are doing in-person holiday parties, add a remote portion to your program. Ask everyone to log onto their laptops, even those who are in the office. You can invite everyone to wear an ugly holiday sweater or dress festively, and provide fun holiday virtual backgrounds in advance. Create a one-hour program where you start the first 15 minutes with celebrating successes, welcoming new hires, and congratulating colleagues on work anniversaries and promotions.
Then, spend the next 45 minutes in virtual breakout rooms where colleagues can engage and get to know each other better. Assign facilitators to lead the rooms. Offer up questions to get the conversation going, such as:
Remember that engagement is an important part of holiday gatherings, so include your remote population when it comes to connecting with other colleagues.
2. Don’t forget about the gifts
For in-person holiday parties, you may provide a meal, snacks, and festive holiday treats. You may have company swag like T-shirts and water bottles you give out to say “thank you.” Or you may allow each leader a budget to purchase items for their teams.
Don’t forget to give gifts when it comes to your remote population. With a bit of preparation, you can ensure your remote employees receive the same gifts as those who will be in person. You can also offer gift cards for them to purchase their own meals or send them a snack box.
Go a step further by knowing what your employees like and don’t like, and remember that not everyone drinks alcohol. For example, for parents you might send a food item or gift the whole family can enjoy like Partake cookies, Bake Eat Love baking box, or A Dozen Cousins rice and beans as a thoughtful year-end gesture to support parents during what can be a stressful holiday season.
3. Be inclusive
Let’s remember that not everyone celebrates Christmas. You may want to avoid the exclusive use of Santa Claus, stockings, and wreaths on virtual backgrounds, gifts, and cards, or any other holiday items you are putting together on behalf of the company. Start using Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas.
If you are doing a gift exchange, don’t call it Secret Santa, call it a White Elephant Exchange. Allow for plenty of time for virtual employees to participate in gift exchanges if they want so they don’t feel left out.
Finally, don’t force anyone to participate in holiday activities or make attendance mandatory. You may think you are being inclusive by asking everyone to participate, but some people may end up feeling uncomfortable and disengaged. Invite employees to participate, and also let them know you are open to suggestions or recommendations on how you can all celebrate together, particularly for remote employees who won’t be able to attend in person.
With a bit of pre-planning, input from your employees, and ensuring you are thinking about both in-office and remote employees, your holiday party can be a great moment to celebrate with each other and continue building community for your company.
Mita Mallick is a diversity and inclusion leader. Currently, she is the head of inclusion, equity, and impact at Carta.
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