Should you decorate your office this Christmas?

With all the current talk of tightening belts and austerity, should you decorate your office this Christmas?

This may be an especially perplexing question if you need to invest in new festive items, and you’re wondering if the cost is justified. Perhaps to manage your organisation’s overheads, you recently moved to coworking space. Does getting all glittery seem inappropriate?

Benefits of festive decorations in the workplace

Lifting the spirits of your team with a tastefully decorated workspace could be a wonderful way to end the year, especially if they have faced change, pressure or shrinking budgets.

It’s well known that a happy workforce is a productive one. That is firmly routed in science, and the impact environment has on our focus, motivation and even our loyalty levels. The ‘environment’ is not just measured by the efficiency of your workspace, but also by how visually appealing it is.

What could be more visually appealing than some cheerful Christmas decorations?

Getting in the mood for the festive season helps give your team’s mental health a boost – and we all know how important that is in the modern workplace.

Don’t forget this is not just about making your staff feel ‘cared for’. Having seasonal decorations in your foyer and reception area, or even outside your premises, can be a welcoming gesture for visitors. Making your meeting and event spaces look bright, colourful and festive can also be a ‘personal touch’ when planning an important business gathering at this time of year.

The full package and inclusivity

Don’t just make your workspace a ‘feast for the eyes’ this festive season. For example, you could add some low-key Christmas music options in communal areas or your reception and lifts. Would Christmas-spiced fragrances and some luxury hot chocolate go down a ‘treat’ in your office kitchen?

Also, consider inclusivity and diversity in your workplace. You should consult your staff to ask for feedback on festive decorations that don’t have a negative impact due to someone’s religious or cultural preferences.

Ideas to make office decorations meaningful

One of the best ways to use Christmas decorations as part of your team building is to get everyone involved in the process. You could make a ‘dress-down’ Friday afternoon into a fun session putting up your office Christmas tree and placing some attractive wall and desk items.

If sustainability is a big issue for your brand and your workforce, look for environmentally friendly Christmas decorations this year. Maybe you could even organise a team foraging expedition in a local forest for pinecones and fir fronds, or you might want to try your hand at decorations such as cloves in oranges.

Could this be the perfect occasion for some fun and free expression in your team? You could launch a contest for the best-decorated workstation or most novel Christmas tree ornament!

When should you put up office decorations?

Timing is important – alongside not getting carried away with impractical decorations that get in everyone’s way!

Opinions of when to put up a Christmas tree vary, though many believe decorating should wait until December 1st. As this is a great opportunity for some team building, why not survey your staff, and find the most popular time for office decorating this Christmas?

Also, you may want to assign the job of taking down the decorations to someone now. When everyone comes back to work after the festive season, all that colourful and glittery stuff can be a bit jarring! Be sure to pack all the decorations away carefully so they can be reused next year.

Of course, having an attractive, welcoming and flexible workspace all year round is all part of making job satisfaction and productivity a 365-day thing. Something we know a lot about at the Headspace Group.

 

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