It might seem early to start your business’ Christmas planning. Easter is still a recent memory, and strategies for the summer are dominating your meetings and inbox. It’s well worth setting aside some time to start preparing for this December in the summer, however, as it’s not only the most important time of year for many businesses, it’s also the most disruptive.
Today we’re taking a look at a few of the areas you’ll need to think about when you’re planning your Christmas for your business in 2018.
The Office Party
It’s never too early to start to planning for this. All the best Christmas party ideas London has to offer will book up from July, so start to make decisions about how many people you’re entertaining and what you want to do for them now!
Of course, if you work in hospitality – one of the pubs or restaurants that will be working so hard over the festive period, you have a venue built in! But you will have to wait until into the new year before you can have your party. You shouldn’t neglect this though: your staff will work incredibly hard to boost your revenue throughout December, and they deserve a reward.
If you don’t work in a venue to begin with you need to start making some decisions. A dinner or drinks will be welcome but aren’t very imaginative. Try to push the boat out a little. Maybe an escape room will challenge your employees and give them a sense of achievement to celebrate as they head out into the night!
Perhaps a comedy show, or a theatrical experience will suit your employees best! Be aware of group rates when you book tickets and shop around for a deal.
Absence and Cover
Depending on the industry you work and the size of your business, you might expect to shut down entirely between Christmas and the new year or keep going with as many staff as you can.
Start thinking about how many people you need to keep things ticking over if you won’t be simply closing for a week – define when your skeleton staff is, and who the most important people are, and who might expect to be on leave. Expect to prioritise those with young families to avoid resentment – they will want to spend Christmas at home. Try to think of a way to reward those who have to bite the bullet and work over Christmas, perhaps with additional time off when normal service is resumed.
