December is perhaps the busiest month. Reports, results, plans, and with all this you need to not forget about the upcoming holiday! Relax - reports are reports, and carry out old year and meeting a new one in your own team is no less important. To make the holiday a success, it is not enough to buy provisions and alcohol. You need to take care of the New Year's entourage: hang garlands and rain in the office, stock up on funny hats and caps, and maybe even dress up the boss as Santa Claus, and his secretary or chief accountant as the Snow Maiden.
And the most important thing in a New Year's party with colleagues is not even the surroundings, not the drink or the food, but the fun! To ensure this, try to entertain everyone with games and competitions. In our selection you will find some funny and unusual ideas:
Alphabet
To begin with - so to speak, to “warm up” - arrange a contest of wishes. Let each of those gathered at the table, starting with the boss, say a short wish to the employees, starting with a specific letter of the alphabet. For example: A - Astronomical earnings, the next one says B - Great pleasure from work, then comes C - High performance, D - great health, and so on. The funniest thing will begin when you reach the letters Zh, Y, as well as hard and soft signs.
The hottest
Give everyone the same ice cube from the freezer. The winner of the competition will be the one who, without any available means, melts his piece in his palms the fastest.
The most accurate
Cut out a cardboard ring in advance. It will need to be thrown onto bottles of alcoholic beverages standing in a row. Determine the distance from which it is difficult to hit, but possible, and let them compete. The winner gets a bottle of his choice!
The most sensual
Let the ladies sit on chairs on which a certain (different!) number of walnuts, covered with newspaper. The winner is the one who can determine the number of nuts under her without looking.
Hussars, forward!
Did you pour the next one? So, it's time to start the next competition. You need to drink a glass for a reason, but according to certain rules - prepare pieces of paper with these rules, let everyone take out their task and complete:
1. Drink a glass from your neighbor’s hand.
2. Through a straw.
3. Eat a crust of bread.
4. From the back of the hand.
5. For brotherhood with a neighbor.
6. A teaspoon.
7. Wash it down with a glass of vodka.
8. Wash it down with mineral water.
Russian roulette
It is very important that none of those present know the essence of the competition in advance. Prepare chicken eggs by the number of male participants. Take them out in a box and announce: let the men line up in a row, take turns taking an egg from the box and breaking it on their own forehead! Each of the participants does all this in honor of his “Beautiful Lady”, so it is impossible to turn out to be. At the same time, be sure to say that all the eggs in the box are boiled, and only one is raw: whoever is lucky. The excitement will be serious. The catch is that raw eggs there is not a single one in the box, but this will become clear only after everyone, frozen, tries their luck at Russian roulette.
Happy Holidays!
Olga Moiseeva for Women's magazine "Prelest"
See also "Corporate New Year celebration"
Polina Khabarova, Deputy General Director for Human Resources at CROC: The New Year is a whole system of events that complement and enhance each other’s effect. The venue, presentation script, and internal activities in the office are selected in such a way as to direct the energy of employees to improve business efficiency.
Every New Year in our company is a unique program that conveys corporate values. It must be said that we do not resort to the help of event agencies. Such events are organized by HR department specialists, and this is a principled position. In our opinion, only specialists who develop corporate culture know exactly what the holiday should be like this year so that its concept meets the company’s objectives.
The venue, presentation script, and internal activities in the office are selected in such a way as to direct the energy of employees to improve business efficiency.
We do not strive to entertain employees, but to increase their loyalty, improve internal communication processes: develop horizontal connections, maintain the atmosphere of a family company, and manage changes.
Our New Year's holiday is always distinguished by unforgettable performances: Cirque du CROC, CROC humor Fest, dance show “Dancing on the Net,” etc. There is a rule: the main stars of the holiday are the employees. Under the guidance of professionals, they master new roles and fully reveal themselves in bright shows.
The performance is developed as part of creative preparations that begin several months in advance. In addition to developing creative potential, which contributes to both personal and professional growth, the goal is to strengthen the team: employees get to know each other and communicate, which subsequently works to increase the efficiency of teamwork.
It should be noted that New Year's performances always involve key persons of the company - the owner and top managers. Thanks to this, we not only develop horizontal connections, establishing an informal dialogue between employees and top executives, but also get the opportunity to promote them within the company, preserving the corporate culture and values.
We also pay attention to internal PR before and after the main event. Information support begins 1.5-2 months before the New Year; As “X-Day” approaches, interest is fueled: rumors about where the holiday will take place and in what format are confirmed, and the secrets of the main show of the year are revealed. And after New Year’s Eve, we sum up the results, publish a report, exchange photos, prepare a video version of the show itself and what happened behind the scenes.
New Year, as the main family holiday, is an excellent opportunity to influence the loyalty of colleagues’ families. The children of our employees are always impatient for the New Year's KROK holiday, and this is no coincidence, because every time they are waiting for an interesting performance and show program, as well as gifts from the company. We give separate prizes to the children who took part in the New Year's crafts competition. Perhaps this can also be called creative preparation! Children, of course, come to the holiday with their parents, which allows employees to meet the families of their colleagues, communicate in a pleasant environment and often strike up friendships.
Colleagues have a need to actively express themselves in the social sphere. We support this desire and create conditions for charitable events. For example, actors of a corporate theater prepare New Year's performances for children from a sponsored orphanage.
In the atmosphere of the New Year holiday, a favorite since childhood, working is not only more joyful, but also more effective. HR specialists know exactly how to make work a holiday.
Olga Filatova, Director of Human Resources Management at MegaFon OJSC:
Summing up the year, it is necessary to make it clear to each employee that he is part of a large, wonderful team that values his work and efforts. Moreover, for many, December remains one of the busiest months: some projects are being completed, others are preparing to start, plans for the near future are being drawn up. In such a situation, it is important that a person goes on vacation with a charge of positive emotions.
The format of a banquet or night club has become familiar - and you want something new and unusual.
For example, having fun with colleagues in the fresh air. Since our company actively supports sports and healthy image life, then we celebrate the New Year this way.
This time the New Year's corporate party will be held at the skating rink near the Arc de Triomphe, and 2.5 thousand employees of the capital's branch and head office will take part in it. It will be real winter holiday in the full sense of the word - with a decorated Christmas tree, ice skating, games of hockey and curling, as well as large winter tents where guests can warm up.
When planning a corporate New Year, it is important to take this into account and create in each employee a sense of personal value, creative impulse and belonging to a “big family”.
At the festival there will be a presentation of the remake of our corporate anthem. Back in November, the “Voice of MegaFon” competition project was launched, as a result of which it was possible to select the best voices among the company’s employees throughout the country. More than 200 people took part in the qualifying stages.
Natalya Yurievna Khanina, Head of the Human Resources Department, FSUE NPO Microgen, Ministry of Health of Russia:
New Year is a family holiday. When planning a corporate new year, it is important to take this into account and create in each employee a sense of personal value, creative impulse and belonging to a “big family”. Our regional offices have preserved (and we very much support it) the tradition of New Year’s cabbage lights, prepared on our own - with skits, numbers, hand-made performances. Also, at our factories, New Year parties with an extensive entertainment program are always held for the children of employees.
Recently, as an alternative to the New Year's banquet, we have chosen to attend cultural events together - the theater, musicals. This year it will be an ice show. We consider it a good idea for New Year's events to hold various creative master classes - for example, decoupage, glass painting, coin minting and even painting of Chinese lanterns. This appeal to the creativity of employees allows them to shake themselves up and get new experience, bright emotions, look at yourself, your work differently, get away from routine.
Alexander Vladimirovich Kuzmin, General Director of RusHOLTS:
At corporate events, you can identify many problematic issues in the team and not allow them to negatively affect work.
New Year is perhaps the second most important holiday after the company's birthday. Although for many employees, especially new ones, it is even more important. Concerning alternative ways celebration, then yes, we, as a company that has celebrated it together more than 20 times, try to come up with something new and unusual every year. There are many interesting offers on the market for organizing corporate events, although most of them are not suitable for such large companies. We have to build some alternative and interesting aspects into traditional formats. The ability to combine business with pleasure is the real skill of an HR specialist.
Victoria Shapran, Sales Director ArrowMedia (Kokoc Group):
The main goal, which, as a rule, is pursued by the organizers of a New Year's corporate party, is team unity. In large companies, this task is approached on a broad scale: for example, one corporation staged the musical Chicago with its employees.
Our capabilities are much more modest, but we also hold New Year’s parties designed to unite employees. Once they organized an event in the spirit of Soviet pop music: the guys prepared the script themselves, dressed up, sang songs, and held competitions. Of course, it’s easier to invite star performers to a corporate event, but the more we involve the staff in a common cause, the more they unite. In addition, previously hidden talents are revealed in people.
The more you involve your staff in a common cause, the more they unite.
A separate attribute is gifts to employees. We all remember catchphrase: “It’s not the gift that’s important, it’s the attention.” Since childhood, we have been accustomed to ********** and sweets for the New Year, and now we look forward to them at any age. Whatever the company’s budget, it can always congratulate employees, rewarding them with at least postcards or certificates. After all, we spend a lot of time at work, and in addition to money, people also want to receive praise and individual attention. As my practice shows, in 99% of cases this motivates for further achievements, interaction and growth.
In government agencies they give bonuses with the so-called thirteenth salary, but in our company there is no such thing, so I give gifts myself. When we had a small team, in the evenings after work I would decorate presents in the spirit of “*********, candy, postcards,” and in the morning the employees would find delicious surprises on their tables. Last year I treated everyone to Olivier. Every year I give my colleagues in the sales department individual gifts - good champagne, red caviar, *********, and if they have children, then Stuffed Toys. The most important thing is that the employee feels needed, and even a small New Year's gift is a great way to show this.
Olga Luchina, Internal Communications Manager, Philip Morris Sales and Marketing LLC:
A New Year's corporate holiday is an excellent occasion to remember the past year in an informal setting, rejoice at the results achieved together and, of course, inspire colleagues to new victories in the coming year. In addition, this is an opportunity for informal communication with the company’s management, and for newcomers it is an ideal platform for adaptation into a team.
How to make a New Year's party an effective tool for internal communications and exciting team building? Involving colleagues in preparing the holiday may be one of the solutions. Already in November, rehearsals for the show program begin at the headquarters of our company in Moscow: employees from different departments share their creative ideas with each other and one large team prepares numbers for performing on stage on a festive evening.
Yulia Gubanova, HR Advisor R&D and Support, Veeam Software:
At the New Year's event, you should definitely sum up the results of the outgoing year, celebrate the company's achievements, and discuss plans for the future.
The scale of the New Year's celebration should depend on the size of the company and its real situation. If things are not going well, a lavish corporate celebration will have a negative effect. You should start preparing for the event in advance, and first you need to decide on the site. It must accommodate required amount person, be convenient geographically and ideologically fit the company. The celebration must have a common concept, which must also coincide with the corporate culture. You can completely organize everything yourself, which is quite cheap, but resource-intensive, or you can turn to the services of a specialized agency. At the same time, it is important to look at what companies it has worked with before, what events it has organized and what it is ready to offer you; You also need to personally get to know the people who will work on your project.
You need to carefully consider the design, interactive areas, transfer of guests and seating: a corporate event should facilitate informal communication between employees and the establishment of new contacts, and poor seating can greatly hinder this.
At the New Year's event, you should definitely sum up the results of the outgoing year, celebrate the company's achievements, and discuss plans for the future. It’s good if you can recognize the most effective employees.
Gifts to staff for the New Year are not always and not everywhere, but this year our company will please employees and their children. When choosing useful gifts, we try to take into account the interests of the people who work for us, as well as convey the spirit of the company and reflect its values.
Anastasia Verkhovtseva, director of selection, adaptation and internal communications department of Cetelem Bank LLC:
Spending your planned budget on charitable causes is a great initiative.
New Year is, first of all, a holiday from childhood, when each of us dreamed of having his wish come true. This year, our bank employees proposed a new approach to spending funds planned for a corporate event: it was decided to spend part of the money on charity. This is another opportunity for us to provide assistance to those who need it. When you think about what is more important - a few hours at a party or the opportunity to make the dream of more than a hundred kids come true, the answer suggests itself. We support Orphanage and an orphanage in the Tver region, so we will direct funds to help their pupils.
The same applies to corporate gifts. Today, this budget line is seen by an increasing number of companies as an opportunity to show social responsibility. Spending the planned budget for charitable purposes and telling employees about it, thus creating a more responsible attitude towards budgeting, as well as introducing the values of a socially responsible company, is, in my opinion, a great initiative.
Olga Romanova, senior consultant of HI-Tech practice of the recruiting company Marksman:
Despite the fact that the New Year is considered a family holiday, long before December 31, many companies have a large number of questions: “How to celebrate this year? What is our budget? etc.
The answers tend to depend on the size of the organization. Large companies organize large-scale corporate parties for their employees: they rent restaurants or clubs, organize banquets, and there are always those who will be ashamed to look their colleagues in the eyes the next morning - the party turns into banal drinking of alcohol. Small companies have to save on such wild fun, and everything usually takes place in an office atmosphere; and it happens that employees themselves organize a small holiday, contributing to the general budget.
In a word, how many people, so many opinions. The choice of format is influenced by the level of the company, its corporate values, the composition of the team, its average age and interests. At large events, people usually scatter into “clumps”; many feel out of place, that is, there is no soulfulness that the New Year brings. In some cases, each department also celebrates the holiday separately - it’s much more comfortable, because you spend 80% of your time with these colleagues, they are your second family. It is quite possible to make sure that this event does not serve as a reason for a party, but becomes a tool for team building, meeting new team members, and an opportunity to once again recharge with energy and the goals of the company.
As a New Year's sign of attention, various certificates, gift cards or impression gifts are now indispensable.
New Year is a significant date for both people and organizations; This is a moment of summing up and making plans for the future. Corporate celebrations are attended by both ordinary employees and top management, so this is a great chance to get to know everyone and find out who works for different levels. Of course, people come primarily to relax, so you shouldn’t abuse your attention, but friendliness and sociability are always welcome.
This is also a good time to reward employees who have particularly distinguished themselves in the past year. Praise is not only pleasant for people, but also necessary for the organization itself, which thus forms the image of an “ideal place to work,” because where staff are valued and respected, they work more efficiently.
You can start some new tradition and make sure that every employee participates in its creation: the person will feel involved in the common cause, and most importantly, in the corporate culture of the company. For example, for 9 years now, among other things, we have been holding Secret Santa. Everyone participates - both consultants and managing partners. Colleagues really like this format; gifts are made from the heart, interesting and unusual ones are chosen.
In general, it seems to me that various certificates, gift cards or impression gifts are now indispensable as a New Year's sign of attention. A good option are also theater tickets or clothing with company logos.
As an event organizer, I know how important it is to create a pre-holiday atmosphere in the office so that people who come here every day, usually at the same time, feel at home, i.e. were able to relax and recharge with energy before the New Year.
From my own experience, I can say with confidence that in any office there are caring people who make up the organizational backbone. They always make sure that everyone around them has a good time, take the initiative, buying gifts for others on memorable dates, in a word, devote themselves to social work. Sometimes their organizational activities cause dissatisfaction among ordinary employees, but just think: who, if not them, will carry all this cart?
It is these people who, already at the end of November, are the first to react to the approaching holiday and remind their colleagues that the New Year is coming soon. They are the first to climb into the closet to check how last year’s tree is doing.
Decorate the Christmas tree
To be honest, not everyone likes to decorate a Christmas tree at work. Although most people still like to admire it on the eve of the holiday, so preparations for the office New Year usually begin from the moment when the tree, no matter what, is taken out of the closet and caring employees begin to decorate it. The Christmas tree in the office can be very different from the one that each of us has at home, both in size and choice of toys. It is not necessary, of course, to decorate it with glowing garlands. However, traditions must be respected!
In our difficult time from the point of view of the economic and political situation, many companies, in order to save money, postpone the celebration of the upcoming holiday to workplace, so employees have no choice but to prepare for the celebration without leaving their desk and computer. I won’t say that this is bad, because everything here depends on the team, its traditions and relationships between employees. A real holiday can be organized in the office - if you wish.
Think not only about food, but also about entertainment
In addition to the banal celebration in the form of a set table with various delicacies and champagne in glasses, the New Year's event can be diversified with various competitions and games. If the company is large, good idea- arrange your own presentation performance from each department: you can, for example, make a musical cut from funny photographs, prepare song or dance numbers, show funny sketches.
If the team is small, try playing some funny Games: for these purposes, a great game is sometimes called “Artist”, when a sheet of whatman paper is taken, employees are divided into teams, and one of them draws something on this sheet, the other must guess what kind of artistic creation is depicted on it.
In addition to this kind of game, offices usually host the “Dress up the Christmas Tree” competition with a bang, when instead of the traditional New Year’s attribute, one of the employees performs and is carefully decorated by her colleagues to the best of their abilities. You can also arrange a competition to find out who is the most accurate in your team by throwing paper or other small objects into a container specially designated for this purpose.
Throw a stylish party
One of the most interesting ideas for a New Year's corporate party in the office is a stylized party. Just imagine if all members of your work team come to the workplace not in suits and ties and boring plain dresses, but in cowboy hats, with pistols, vests and stunning outfits of real Indians. I am sure that your colleagues’ delight will know no bounds, not to mention the fact that you will be charged with positivity for the entire coming working year ahead.
Of course, preparing a New Year's office event is a troublesome task and one person cannot do it; here you need to be united and act together. However, if you come up with something truly unusual, interesting, in which everyone without exception can take part, you will get a truly good and unforgettable party, which needs to be planned in advance, all the actions scheduled and allocated who will do what for it. In principle, even now nothing is impossible for those who decided to celebrate the New Year at work - there is still enough time, show creativity as a whole team and dare!
Instructions
Get your manager's consent. As a rule, the first thoughts about celebrating the New Year arise in the team by the end of autumn. Having caught the general mood, take a couple of colleagues for support and go to the boss. Only he can make the final decision on the form, location and holding of the corporate event. In addition, without the manager’s signature, the accounting department will not allocate money for preparation.
Create an initiative group. Include people who are fun, energetic, smart, talented, artistic. In a word, find a task for each employee according to their strengths and abilities. Your colleagues should know in advance who hangs the garlands and who sets the buffet table. Entrust the role of presenter to an employee who has a large vocabulary, well-spoken speech and knows how to quickly respond to unusual situations.
Think about the format of the New Year's event. Youth companies successfully host themed parties: gangster New Year, disco-style New Year, tropical New Year, etc. For a group of different ages the best option there will be a masquerade. To do this, it is absolutely not necessary to transform into representatives of the forest fauna. Spectacular masks and additions in the form of hats and gloves will be enough.
Write a holiday script. Depending on the main topic, set the central intrigue of the evening. Let, for example, evil competitors steal the key to the hearts of customers. And throughout the evening, the “Sherlock Holmeses” of your company will solve puzzles and complete competition tasks that bring them closer to the solution. Of course, the boss must find the treasured key. Connect the idea of the holiday with the company’s activities in the past year, reviving it with popular corporate jokes, stories and signs.
Include congratulations and awards in the script. At the beginning of the evening, let the manager set the tone for the event by summing up the year and recognizing the best employees. In the future, provide team members with the opportunity to make their own holiday speeches. Read aloud congratulations received from clients and partners.
Choose the musical accompaniment for the party. Record the songs on a separate disc in the order in which they will be played. Then you won't have to waste time searching for a melody.
Decorate your office. In the hall where the main part of the event will take place, install tables and chairs, ensuring convenient passage. Hang up New Year's paraphernalia - garlands, Christmas balls, snowflakes. If you are celebrating New Year in a certain style, the design must match it.