Christmas Really Does Bring People Together

Created at 01:48 on Fri 27th Apr 2007

Submitted 10th May 2006 by Austin Mowat

One of the biggest problems any manager has to deal with is getting his people to work as a single unit. Although working together usually helps in and of itself, so does finding ways to get the crowd together in non-work situations, such as parties or sporting events. However, there is probably no better to get your workers together than a common holiday.

Christmas represents a great way to build bonds between the people in an office. Even those that follow no particular path find some solace in Christmas, as edges seem to dull around the holiday season a bit. Since there is an underlying feeling of family that always seems to spread around this time of year, people are more likely to try and get along rather than fight. This is just one of the things that is an intrinsic part of the holiday that can help build your team's ability to support one another.

Giving gifts may sound trivial, but knowing that someone else spent time on them outside of work, and put at least a moment’s thought into what they liked, boosts self-esteem. Even if it's just a few dollars, that gift, especially from an anonymous person, enforces that the person is part of a team, and that the person does count. As everyone is theoretically giving to others, and it’s one of the few things that even the crossest workers, those that mock everything, allow to pass without comment, it’s something that builds community.

Strangely, the random gift-giving that goes on around that time of year also helps build the family bond between workers. By allowing people to demonstrate that they have interests beyond the workplace. In a way, by establishing that they brought something in not-from-work, they establish that work isn’t all there is and that’s a comforting thought to most. After all, it means that there is an escape from the drudgery, and that it’s just a matter of time before everyone escapes from the salt mines.

Even the "mandatory" Christmas Party isn't that bad of an idea, as it shows what others are like when they let their guard down. By making them more human, it becomes difficult to see them as drones, and easier to see them as other people, just like the person himself. As each worker sees each other’s guards down, and that gives them an insight into each other, and they see the humanity within the other workers, even those that are normally cold, they tend to work together better afterwards. The Christmas party is worth it just for that.

That the holiday season is set up well for forging new links should be taken advantage of, regardless of the holiday of choice of your workers. Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Christmas all happen at the same time of the year as New Year's Day; wouldn't it be great to start your New Year with a more-connected staff?