🎒 Microlesson

🪞 Reflect

It’s nearing the end of the year, a time when many teams plan social events and celebrations! How do remote employees in your organization participate in such seasonal festivities?

💡 Concept

The holiday season is upon us, which means it’s the holiday party season. But how do you have an office party if not everyone works in the same office?

Some organizations opt to focus on in-person parties for their office-based employees. But this approach risks creating or exacerbating a division between in-office and remote employees, which can lead to feelings of exclusion or inferiority. When remote team members are made to feel less important than office employees, morale and satisfaction will suffer. Such exclusion is also a loss for in-office employees, since a team that nourishes social connections is stronger and better equipped to communicate well and work effectively together.

Making sure that holiday celebrations include remote employees is not just a gesture of goodwill; it also enhances team dynamics and the overall well-being of your organization.

So how can you make office parties location-inclusive?

Offer multiple options for celebrating. If you have in-person seasonal celebrations, add options for attending virtually. Hire or assign an event producer to ensure that the virtual experience does not just entail dialing in and passively watching in-office employees have fun. Additionally, if your team spans multiple time zones, offer multiple events so everyone has the opportunity to join.

Make in-person attendance optional. There are many potential reasons someone might not want or be able to attend the holiday party, so making attendance optional allows for the family, religious, scheduling, and financial considerations someone might be juggling.

Make in-person and remote employees feel special. If you’re catering on site, allow remote team members to order food delivery to their location. If you’re giving corporate gifts, make sure remote team members get their gifts in the mail ahead of the party start time.

🎬 Take Action

• Take stock of your end-of-year celebrations and identify any that exclude remote employees.

• Host both in-person and virtual celebrations.

• When attending events, be the voice of whoever is not in the physical or virtual room, and speak up if you recognize any instances of proximity bias or location exclusion. For example, ask event organizers how remote employees are included in an event.

• Schedule multiple events that work with multiple time zones so that more people can attend.

• Select a theme or plan events that can be enjoyed both in-person and virtually, such as trivia games or other virtual activities.

• Clearly communicate party details, expectations, and guidelines for both in-office and remote team members well in advance of the event.

✅ Check In

🧠 Keep Learning

Learn more about how to build connection rituals in our Leadplaceless virtual leadership program.

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