11 Creative Ways to use the Intranet to Spread Holiday Cheer
The holiday season is fast approaching, bringing joy, excitement, and a dash of distraction from work. While festive, this time of year can be challenging for business leaders and HR professionals. 61% of workers report feeling negatively impacted during the holidays with 44% experiencing more stress and 17% reporting a dip in overall well-being.
But here’s the silver lining: with a little creativity and a modern intranet, you can lift spirits, ease stress, and keep teams connected.
Spruce up the Intranet for Festivities
We decorate homes and office hallways during this season. So why not give the intranet a festive look? With some planning, you could get employees hooked to the intranet with seasonal designs. Here are a few design elements that you could change:
1. Use a Different Color Scheme
Colors can influence a person’s mood, thoughts, or behavior. Changing the color of your intranet’s header or the menu bar is a sure way to grab your employees’ attention. You could bring out the holiday spirits by using the traditional colors associated with a holiday or try a different look to keep staffs guessing about what’s next.
2. Holiday-Themed Background
Excite your employees by changing the intranet’s background. For example, you could use a static turkey design for Thanksgiving or ‘winterize’ the intranet home page by using a gif background of falling snowflakes. A Holiday-themed intranet background is sure to drive some conversations at the workplace.
3. Update the Logo
A simple way to connect with your team this holiday is to update your intranet logo during this season. You could add a Christmas hat to your intranet logo or add a holiday greeting underneath the logo.
4. Create a Festive Banner or Pop-up
If you don’t have the time to change the other intranet design elements, you could add a festive banner or a pop-up to send a cheerful holiday greeting. Banners and pop-ups are also helpful in redirecting users to a holiday page where you can engage users with exciting activities.
Intranet Activity Ideas to Engage Your Workforce This Holiday Season
Consider publishing a calendar to create anticipation in the weeks leading to the holidays. You could also encourage users to register for an offline event within the intranet to promote employee engagement.
5. Recall What You Did Last Year
Teams are more disconnected than ever with hybrid-remote models. Without the occasional water cooler conversations, employees can get detached and disconnected. You can make them nostalgic by sharing holiday pictures of pleasant things from the past on the intranet. A trip down memory lane can even shift the attitude of the most disengaged staff.
6. Use Polls & Surveys
The holiday season is a great time to gather employee feedback, and PeopleOne enhances this experience by bringing in a modern intranet into Microsoft Teams. With PeopleOne, you can easily run polls and surveys directly on Teams, allowing employees to voice their opinions on holiday party preferences, Secret Santa participation, or potluck ideas.
7. Create a Community Page
Create a space for your employees to discuss interesting non-work-related topics. For example, is someone hosting a Christmas party? Did someone return from a vacation or find an excellent hangout place? Opening the intranet for informal communication boosts employee morale, especially during the holiday season.
8. Organize a Virtual Treasure Hunt
Sending employees on an adventure with virtual treasure hunts is a fun way to increase employee engagement. For example, you can ask employees to find a specific resource or search the intranet to discover who recently joined the sales team.
9. Bring Employees Together for a Good Cause
Holidays are also a time to help out those in need. Whether it is an awareness campaign or a donation to a charity, you can use the intranet to get employees to play a positive role in the community this season. Watch how LGA Accountancy uses PeopleOne to promote the culture of DE&I and encourage employees to contribute to a social or environmental cause.
10. Celebrate Employees
The year-end is the perfect time to shine a spotlight on those who make your organization successful. A survey shows that 63% of employees don’t look for a new job when they feel recognized. You could use the intranet to highlight an employee’s accomplishments, responsibilities, and what motivates them or share what they like to do outside of work. From the staff who make things happen behind the scenes to the customer service executive who goes the extra mile, celebrating employees increases satisfaction and loyalty this season.
With PeopleOne, a modern intranet available on Microsoft Teams, organizations can share employee accomplishments and recognitions directly within Teams, making it simple for everyone to celebrate contributions.
-Kate Fisher, Marketing and Communications Manager
11. Holiday Greetings from Leadership
The holidays are a good time for leaders to thank employees for their contributions. With everyone wrapping up the year and looking forward to a fresh start, strategic messages from the leadership can keep employees motivated. For example, the leadership team could use the intranet to recap the year’s accomplishments and discuss future opportunities and roadmap.
More Ways to Spread the Holiday Cheer using Modern Intranet
- Holiday Self-Care Challenge: Create a holiday wellness or self-care challenge. Use the intranet to share daily prompts encouraging employees to take small steps toward relaxation and health during the holiday season.
- Holiday Shout-Out Corner: Establish a dedicated area on the intranet for employees to give public “shout-outs” to their colleagues for small acts of kindness or work well done throughout the year, creating a positive, uplifting space.
- Holiday Story Share: Create a section on the intranet where employees can share their favorite holiday memories or traditions. Encourage storytelling to build personal connections among colleagues.
- Holiday Wishes Board: Set up a “wishes” board where employees can share their hopes and goals for the upcoming year. These can be personal or professional, and it adds an inspirational, reflective element to the intranet.
Boost Employee Engagement Year-Round with PeopleOne
Daily business operations leave little room for team-building activities. However, the holiday season offers an excellent opportunity to lighten up, create a sense of community, and promote organizational values. The intranet is a great tool to connect with employees during the holiday season to ensure they return to work happy, refreshed, and ready to contribute after the holidays.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on November 24, 2022 and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
