Yikes! I can’t believe it is December already?! I really should have got this blog post draft up and ready to hit publish in late November. Work-life is a little too hectic and stressful for my liking at this time of year. With the holiday season well and truly here it’s time to say goodbye to the grind and hello to injecting some joy at work before disconnecting and taking a well earned holiday break. Here are a few of my favourite Workplace holiday hacks…
Advent calendar with a scheduled joke each day
Do your colleagues like a good festive pun or bad joke (so bad they are kind of good)? Why not schedule a festive-inspired post for the same time every day leading up to the 25th. There are so many sites offering festive jokes, puns and riddles— half the fun is choosing your favourites!
How to implement:
1. Find your favourite festive jokes (thanks Google!)
2. Pick a social/open group -or- set up a new group for sharing your festive jokes
3. Using the post composer in the group, schedule your posts for the same time each day. Note: you can go back and edit your scheduled posts if you need to.
Deck your desk competition
If a daily festive joke isn’t enough for you it’s time to take it up a notch and deck your desk! There’s nothing wrong with a little competition amongst teams and office floors too. Let the crowd vote by running a final a poll on Workplace to determine the best-decked team and office space!
{{ insert image of deck-your-desk photos + a poll to determine the winner }}
How to implement:
1. Pick a social/open group -or- set up a new group for Deck Your Desk competition
2. Get a post out there explaining the conditions of entry, judging criteria and prizes
Tip: Make sure to include a few images of inspiring desk decorations
3. Encourage people to post to the group while the competition is running
Tip: Panoramic / 360 photos and video entries are a great way to attract attention
4. When it comes time to judge the best decorations you could go-live and walk the floors/spaces? Why not create and run a poll for the ‘people’s choice’ award?
Social media suggestions for your end of year work function
With smartphones and social media apps at our fingertips, there are more ways than ever to document and share bad behaviour, which can be damaging to you, your colleagues or the organisation. Without sounding like scrooge, it is often a good idea to remind employees of their obligations while at the same time encouraging them to have a good time. You could look to publish a post in an open default-all group and mark as important so that everyone will see it.
In addition, look to appoint a social media go-to person at the work function. Whether it’s documenting your party, storing the photos in an easily accessible place and keeping your company socials on-brand throughout the entire event, your social media person will be on it. Should anything negative appear, you’ll also have someone ready to handle it.
Tools down
I’m definitely looking to disconnect from work this holiday season and enjoy time with family and friends. There are many ways to tranquillise notifications and unnecessary pings. I’ve tried them all. Choose what suits your appetite:
1. Mobile phone notification settings. I’ll be toggling off ‘Allow Notifications’ altogether. That doesn’t mean I won’t be scrolling my news feed and checking in from time to time. It just means I’ll be checking in if and when I want to.
2. Workplace Do Not Disturb settings. I’ve been using this to great effect during my workday. As I head into a meeting I’ll turn on Do Not Disturb via Workplace Chat to avoid unwanted sounds and distractions. If I don’t adjust my phone notification settings, I’ll definitely be applying Do Not Disturb.
3. Log out of the apps. If you really want to disconnect from work why not log out of the apps all together? If people really need to reach you they will call. I use to apply this process but I find a combination of #1 and #2 are the right fit for me.
4. Turn off your phone. I have friends who swear by turning off their phone for a day or more. I’m tempted to try this myself these holidays.
Profile frames
Tis the season to be giving! In the spirit of giving back the team at Enablo have a free gift for Workplace customers everywhere — Profile Frames for Workplace. Amplify your organisation’s culture with your own set of Workplace profile frames. Have some fun and encourage your employees to apply a holiday season frame or out-of-office frame!
