'Tis the Season to Spread Office Holiday Cheer

The holiday season is upon us, and that begs the question: what more can you as an employer/manager to keep your employees happy and motivated?

Here at RingCentral, we have several office activities to lift the spirits of employees and overall maintain a jolly office environment. Below are a few things we’ve rolled out this holiday season to celebrate our valued employees.

1. Decorate
Decorating your office/work space is one of the easiest ways to get into the holiday spirit. Whether it’s a Christmas tree, a menorah, or a few holiday wreaths and garlands, there’s no shortage of festive decorations available out there. As an added bonus give employees the option of decorating the tree together as a fun team building activity. This year our admin staff went all out decorating the office, and we couldn’t be more thankful for it!

2. Plan a Holiday Party
Everyone (except for maybe the Grinch) enjoys celebrating the holidays in some way or another. So give your employees something fun to look forward to. Whether you work for a big corporation or a small start-up, there are plenty of office party ideas that you can easily implement. For example, in addition to the annual formal RingCentral Holiday Party, this year we are throwing our first annual “Ugly Sweater Party” at the office (complete with cupcake decorating and all).

3. Serve holiday -themed food
People love to eat — especially during the holidays. So do something special at the office to enjoy all the delicious goodies that are available during the holidays. Some of our favorite ideas are: a hot chocolate party, holiday themed pot-luck, ginger bread house decorating contest, a mulled wine extravaganza, or anything else that gets you and your colleagues in the holiday spirit!

4. Have an employee gift exchange
Do a Secret Santa or White Elephant party for the office. These are always a hit. Just be sure to set a reasonable dollar limit so nobody feels obligated to spend too much. A good ballpark figure is $15 to $50 depending on the number of participants.

5. Give back to those in need
Community service is a great way to support those in need, and it instills team work. Hold a toy drive and donate all items to an organization like Toys for Tots. Or take an afternoon off from the office and volunteer at your local soup kitchen or shelter. So get out there, and start spreading the holiday cheer this year with your co-workers and colleagues!