Which celebration days are right for your team?

National Donut Day and National Pizza Day are just a few of the calendar moments that have gained popular status in recent years, with offices opting to celebrate by treating staff with pizza kits to make at home, sweet treat deliveries and impressive hampers.

While confectionery appearing on desks (or at employee’s doors) may spark initial excitement, more often than not, staff may be unaware of why they are receiving the treat.

Although the gesture will no doubt be appreciated amongst the team, and bring in immediate happiness, business leaders risk diluting awareness days that can make a real difference to employers.

There are many milestones in the corporate calendar that are meaningful and have the potential to contribute to the wellbeing of employees. 

But how can a business differentiate between those they should be prioritizing, and those they should pass up? Here are my top tips to think about when building a business team culture. 

Stand by your ethos 

Many companies spend significant time and resources nailing their company values in the early stages, and it goes without saying, these should remain a pillar throughout the entire lifetime of your business.

For many, growing a strong company culture is integral to the business’s values, ensuring all employees feel supported and sets the precedent for future employees on the expectations the company has. 

So, when it comes to choosing office treats, business leaders should firmly stand by their company values and align the milestones they celebrate with them too.

If employee wellbeing is a key focus, celebrating International Happiness Day or Stress Awareness Month are meaningful calendar moments that recognize the pillars that are most important to business.

Instead of sending out a one-off cookie to individuals, why not offer credit to enjoy a shared meal together?

In the long-term, knowing that your employer is genuinely addressing your wellbeing is much more meaningful and will lead to a more motivated workforce which in turn will lead to loyalty to the business. 

Enrich team bonding

Businesses may find that team bonding activities such as offering organized activity days, a shared meal experience both in and outside of the office, or offering cook-along kits for all to get involved in, add more value to internal culture than ad-hoc doughnuts, cookies and pizza slices throughout the year. 

There can sometimes be a wrong perception that promoting ‘fun’ in and out of the office is counter productive to output.

This idea is outdated – ultimately, it is a team that is integral to your success. A team needs to feel appreciated and motivated to do well, and creating a positive company culture can ensure that they’re willing to try their hardest.

As leaders, businesses should take the time to get to know staff, express an interest in their lives and build trusting bonds which will in turn lead to increased motivation. 

By bringing teams together to spend time away from the everyday jobs, it allows for staff to catch up and chat on a more personal level, a luxury that couldn’t be enjoyed throughout the past two years. Indeed, our data found that two out of three employees believe eating lunch together as a team develops a great working culture. 

Celebrating awareness days in a hybrid setting

For many, the return to the office has remained a personal decision – with the hybrid working model remaining a popular option. Hybrid working arguably has been one the biggest outcomes of the pandemic in the office world and is here to stay.

Nowadays, business leaders need to integrate how they are going to create a company culture in a hybrid world into a business strategy. It needs much thought behind it – how do you want your employees to feel at home and in the office and how do you want them to interact? We know that many can feel isolated at home when speaking to those in an office setting.

By integrating a hybrid strategy culture plan into a business, business leaders will normalize the interactions between people at home over screens and those in the office, and lead to a more unified workforce.

Business leaders should encourage making ‘water cooler moments’ normal in a virtual world, not limiting general discussion to the office. 

One part of this hybrid strategy can be considering which awareness days are best to celebrate for a hybrid team. When planning awareness day celebrations, or any type of collaboration activity, employers should ensure they are catering for both at-home and in-office workers by providing equal treats for both. This can be achieved by gifting an entirely virtual experience or providing a virtual equivalent.

For example, April is Stress Awareness Month, so employers could treat their in-office employees to a shared lunch experience. This could be matched with credit for those working from home. 

Employers, rethink your approach to benefits

We’re not saying year-round employee benefits aren’t a great thing – they are. They let staff know that you’re thinking about them, their wellbeing, and their value to the company.

They are fun, light-hearted gestures that can brighten up a day, increase motivation and happiness within the workplace. However, if employers are smart about how they approach the corporate calendar, they can optimize returns on employee happiness and retention in the long-term. 

There is no one quick fix. Culture continues to change – it has changed over the past two years so dramatically and will change again with the times.

Therefore, businesses need to act accordingly, understand what employees need to work effectively, and match this to key dates in the corporate calendar. Doing fewer well-thought-out initiatives is much more effective than many short bursts of treats.

After all, quality over quantity prevails.