The BEST Moves
Make the Party the Thank-You
The best places to work have recognition built in. A holiday party is the easiest place to do it, as long as it stops feeling like work.
3 min read The move is free From 10 Business Scenarios
How to run it
You can do all of this yourself, on Monday, without calling anybody.
Open with one sentence on what you are thanking them for.
Say what the team did this year, in one sentence, from whoever leads the room. Then stop talking about work. The thank-you is the opening, not the agenda.
Skip the presentations.
Pick something that is just for fun and has nothing to do with work: a game show, a build, a give-back. Leave the year-in-review deck for January.
Add a few questions about your year, not many.
A game show can carry a handful of questions about your company and your wins this year, mixed in with music, movies and TV. Keep it to a few. It should never feel like a test.
Raise a toast.
Invite everyone to raise a glass, with hot chocolate or coffee for anyone not drinking. It is a small thing that makes the room feel like a party rather than a meeting.
Watch out: Do not let the thank-you turn into a speech. One sentence, then hand the room to the fun.
Why it works
The mechanism, not the marketing.
People hear recognition when it costs the company something and asks nothing back. A party that keeps sliding into updates and slides tells the team the evening is still work. Saying "no work here" out loud, and meaning it, is what turns the same two hours into a gift. A few questions about the year keep the wins in the room without making anyone feel quizzed.
“Please, no work here. This is all about our employees laughing, enjoying each other’s company, work-life balance, health and wellness, and getting their heads someplace fun. And we’re going to pay for it because we care about our people.”
Roy Charette, Best Corporate Events, describing what leadership tells us, in 10 Business Scenarios Where Team Building Leads to Success (p. 108)
Recognition is what the best workplaces share
Companies continually named among the best places to work have formal and informal recognition programs in place, and support their people’s health and well-being.
10 Business Scenarios (p. 107)
Company questions: a few, never a test
Most questions should be about music, movies and TV. Mix in a few company-specific ones, and the results can even show leadership what the team does and does not know.
10 Business Scenarios (p. 107)
Where this move came from
Or take the whole book.
10 Business Scenarios Where Team Building Leads to Success
Ten common business situations, the programs that fit each, and Roy’s notes throughout.
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Activities that do this for you
If you would rather not run it yourself, these are built around the same job.
