Holiday Party Ideas for Work That Will Boost Employee Engagement: 2024 Edition

For many people, year-end holidays are a time of joy and togetherness. Your company can join in on these sentiments by creating a memorable experience that resonates with your team and boosts engagement. In other words, you can host the ultimate holiday party for your organization!

Festive gatherings can significantly improve morale and strengthen connections among coworkers. In this article, we share 10 holiday party ideas for work you can use to spread the holiday spirit in 2024. Doing so will not only be fun, but ensure your colleagues feel valued by your organization.

Whether you’re an employee eager to spark joy or a manager focused on building camaraderie, these top 10 suggestions will pave the way for a successful and engaging holiday season.

How a Company Holiday Party Can Improve Employee Engagement

Handled correctly, the holidays give companies the chance to build stronger teams and cultivate a sense of belonging amongst employees. How so? These times are ripe for an office holiday party, which can have a dramatic impact on employee engagement. Here’s why:

Holiday Parties Boost Morale

The holidays are supposed to be fun, but the demands of work can sometimes overshadow this. A festive party can reignite the holiday cheer within your team, like fuel on a fading flame.

Trust us, a lively get-together will uplift spirits, provide a much-needed break, and give attendees a chance to celebrate their achievements from throughout the past year. These feelings will then translate into increased productivity levels and a more positive work environment. In that sense, holiday celebrations could be considered essential to the success of your business!

Holiday Parties Strengthen Team Cohesion

Holiday parties bring people together.

When employees interact outside of their usual roles, they break barriers and build trust, which makes the teams they’re a part of more cohesive. How could it not? Shared experiences naturally result in better communication and collaboration in the office.

This is important because 99% of employees want to work for companies that encourage honest communication and 73% of employees do better work when collaborating.

Holiday Parties Enhance Workplace Culture

A strong workplace culture doesn’t happen by accident. It’s cultivated via shared values and experiences. Holiday parties provide an opportunity to foster both of these things.

For example, your company might value teamwork. A holiday party that includes a themed escape room game or other challenge (more on this in the next section) will teach employees to work together.

It will also give them a fun event to remember as a group. These shared memories will then strengthen bonds between staff members and help each person feel like they’re a part of the team. When this happens, they’ll naturally engage in their work on a deeper level.

10 Company Holiday Party Ideas for Work

You want to host a corporate holiday party this year, but aren’t sure how to make it memorable. Don’t worry! These 10 party ideas will help you plan an entertaining get-together that your team will not only remember for years, but will encourage them to engage deeper in their work.

1. Themed Costume Party

A themed costume party is the perfect way to unleash your team’s creativity.

First choose a theme that will engage your employees. Would they enjoy a vintage Christmas vibe? How about a look back at pop culture from the year? A holiday masquerade ball, perhaps? Once you have a party theme, encourage attendees to don an outfit that matches. This will give them a chance to express themselves—and probably have a good laugh.

(Not sure if a crazy theme is right for your team? You could always host an ugly sweater party instead. These events are traditional, fun, and will still allow your employees to “dress the part”.)

Themed costume parties are a hoot. But more importantly, they help coworkers build memories together. They’ll look back and say things like, “Remember when Jim wore that [Insert Outfit]? Classic!” Just be sure to take plenty of pictures to commemorate the experience and share them with the team. 

2. Holiday Escape Room

Nothing says team building like an escape room. These interactive puzzles are super exciting. Play one with a holiday theme and they can be great additions to your holiday work party too. 

There are a few different ways to host an escape room game. You can gather your team and head to a local establishment. Or you can buy an escape room kit and play the game in your office. Remote teams can even purchase a virtual escape room experience and enable staff to participate from the comfort of their couch.

Whichever option you choose, you’ll give your employees a chance to improve their teamwork skills and build deep connections. Doing so will improve team morale and company culture. And you’ll have a ton of fun doing it!

3. Charity Fundraiser or Volunteer Day

The holidays are the perfect time to give back. So, why not encourage your team to participate in a charity fundraiser? Or plan a volunteer day with your coworkers?

This work holiday party idea has a few benefits:

• Your employees will get to help other people and feel more connected to their community. This will make all who participate feel good about themselves and help improve the world.
• Your team will get to work together on a non work-related project. This will test their communication and collaboration skills in a new way, making them stronger.
• Your staff will become more engaged in their work—especially if you volunteer at a nonprofit that aligns with their personal beliefs. They’ll think, “This company gets me!”

There are plenty of ways to volunteer in your area: collect donations for a cause, pass out food at a local food pantry, play with shelter cats and dogs—it’s up to you.

Whatever you decide, put on some cheerful holiday music and your philanthropy becomes one of the best office holiday parties you could ever host. It’s a win-win situation.

4. Gourmet Potluck Lunch

What’s a holiday party without food?

A gourmet potluck lunch will allow everyone on your team to showcase their culinary skills. It will also give them a chance to share personal holiday traditions, as each employee can bring a dish that’s inspired by their heritage, or that their family ate when they were growing up.

In a similar vein, consider adding something fun and unexpected like a hot chocolate bar to your holiday celebration. Everyone loves hot chocolate, right? (Just remember to have allergy-friendly options.) Providing this sweet treat will help bring people together. After all, humans tend to bond over things they have in common — a love for hot cocoa definitely applies!

5. DIY Holiday Craft Workshop

Here’s a wild idea: unleash your team’s artistic side with a DIY holiday craft workshop.

Whether it’s decorating cookies or creating wintertime wreaths, these activities are a great way to boost camaraderie, as employees can craft at the same time and encourage each other along the way. Plus, everyone will get to take home a fun, festive keepsake.

Just remember, not everyone enjoys crafting or celebrates the same holidays. So this activity may be better received when it’s a compliment to a holiday party, not the main attraction. Still, if you decide to host a craft workshop, encourage all employees to participate. They might enjoy it more than they thought.

6. Office Decoration Contest

An office decoration contest turns everyday workspaces into winter wonderlands. Your team will become more engaged when they want to be in their holiday-themed work stations.

Also worth mentioning, an office decoration contest can spark friendly competition amongst coworkers, which could have a positive impact on their work. Depending on how you run the competition, it could prompt greater collaboration, too. For example, you could separate your team into groups, post photos, then choose a winner based on who gets the most votes.

This activity not only spreads holiday cheer but also reinforces pride in the workplace. And the bragging rights for winners will help employees remember the occasion well into the new year.

7. White Elephant Gift Exchange

The white elephant gift exchange is a staple at holiday parties.

It’s not hard to see why. This activity is generally filled with playful banter between participants and more than a few fun surprises. Just as important, it’s incredibly easy to set up.

Simply ask each of your employees to bring a wrapped gift under a certain dollar amount. Then have them draw numbers from a bowl and unwrap said gifts in order. Gifts can be stolen a total of two times each. Your team will have a blast discovering what each gift is, and stealing the best ones from each other.

Pro tip: decide in advance if you want to exchange real gifts or gag gifts. Either way, set a budget. No one should feel like they have to invest their life savings into the white elephant.

Not keen on a white elephant event? Consider a Secret Santa activity instead, where workers draw names and give each other gifts in secret. It’s fun and encourages personal connections.

8. Holiday Scavenger Hunt

You could also set up a holiday scavenger hunt to encourage teamwork and problem-solving.

Simply hide objects in or around your office. Then writes clues that lead to each one. Finally, separate your employees into groups and have them race to find the objects you’ve hidden. The group that does it the fastest—or finds the most—wins a holiday-themed prize.

Why is this activity such a hit at holiday parties? Because it engages employees and promotes interaction. It gets people away from their desks or the break room. Teams have to work side by side to solve puzzles, which improves their communication skills. And they’ll have a ton of fun together, which will boost camaraderie.

9. Gingerbread House Contest

A gingerbread house contest is a delightful way to mix creativity with friendly competition.

Teams work together to construct and decorate their edible masterpieces. Doing so promotes creativity and teamwork, while giving employees plenty of time to build deeper relationships. 

Of course, gingerbread architecture isn’t for everyone. So, try hosting a cookie decorating contest instead. The process is similar: give team members plain cookies and access to frosting, sprinkles, etc. Then let them go to town on their cookies, and vote on a winner.

There’s no downside to these activities. Even if you don’t win a prize, everyone gets to eat their favorite holiday treats. Yes, please!

10. A Holiday-Themed Kudoboard

Last but not least, elevate your holiday celebration with a themed Kudoboard. 

If you’re unfamiliar it, Kudoboard allows companies to create digital boards, which employees can customize with text, GIFs, fun images, and even videos.

Here’s what we suggest: create a board for your holiday party with a specific prompt. Something like “Tell us about your favorite Christmas tradition” or “What are you most proud of this year?” Then add a QR code and encourage your team to contribute to the board via their phones.

This activity will engage employees, encourage them to reminisce about the good times, and get to know each other better. In other words, it will create the perfect holiday atmosphere.

Sign up for Kudoboard today to level up your holiday party!

Plan an Unforgettable Party This Holiday Season

Planning the perfect holiday party sounds hard. But really, you just need to follow this three-step process. Doing so will give you a great chance to engage employees this holiday season.

Set a Realistic Budget

First, determine how much you’re willing to spend on your party. 

Good news: you don’t need to spend a lot. You can host a fun holiday party in your office, with food and drinks from Costco, and one of the low-cost activities we mentioned in this article.

But of course, if you want to host an extravagant affair, complete with dazzling decorations, a professional DJ, and masterfully prepared food — you can! The key is knowing what you can spend before you start to plan the event and make purchases.

Pro tip: remember to account for hidden fees, like delivery, tips, and service charges. These things add up. Forget about them and you’re almost guaranteed to bust your budget.

Lock Down Important Details

Now that you have a budget you can start planning.

Where will your holiday party take place? When will it take place? And what will people do when they get there? These are incredibly important questions to answer. Let’s dive in…

• Where: Are you going to book a party venue or host your event in your office space? Your answer will affect your budget and the vibe of your get-together. So choose wisely.
• When: Most holiday parties happen around December, but this isn’t a hard and fast rule. You could host a Thanksgiving party if you really want to. Do a little research and choose a date and time that works for the largest percentage of your team. 
• What: You don’t want attendees to just stand around. Plan things for them to do, starting with food and drinks. Are you going to serve a full meal or just snacks? (Think about what time of day your party is when you decide as well.) Then move on to activities. Pick a couple from the list above to make sure your team has a great time.

Promote Your Holiday Party

Finally, get the word out. Tell your employees that you’re hosting a company holiday party and you want them to come. Then tell them why attending will be worth their while.

Maybe you rented a killer venue. Maybe you chose a fun theme that they’ll want to be a part of. Or maybe you hired a top-level restaurant to cater the event and the food will be to die for.

Promote your event as soon as possible. That way your employees can add it to their calendars and don’t overbook themselves. Then build anticipation by reminding your team members why they’ll want to attend. And keep doing these things until the day of your event so no one forgets.

Boost Employee Engagement With a Work Holiday Party

A fun holiday party will show appreciation for your team, build bonds between coworkers, and allow everyone to relax at the end of the year. Just as important, it will increase employee engagement.

You just have to plan and host your event correctly. Don’t worry, it’s not difficult. Simply choose a few of the activities we mentioned in this article. Party themes, decoration contests, and white elephant gift exchanges will make your get-together super fun and memorable for attendees. Then follow the three-step process we outlined above to handle every other event detail.

One more thing: incorporate Kudoboard into your holiday plans! Our platform will elevate your party by enabling your team members to connect on a deeper level.

Then, if you enjoy the tool, keep using it all year round. Kudoboard is one of the best employee engagement solutions on the market. With it, you’ll be able to recognize your team for their efforts, strengthen bonds between colleagues, and make work more fun — at all times of year!