Love it or loathe it, in December most organizations throw a holiday office party to celebrate the end of the year. How do you hold one that reflects your values, culture, and diversity within your team?

Let's be honest; if many employees look forward to it to celebrate the year's successes and spend time with colleagues in a casual way, other staff might feel stressed, anxious, and peer-pressured.

People with dietary restrictions or unable to attend social events in the evening or late at night might feel like they are not being considered. But not attending doesn't seem an option either. A common concern is: "Will people talk about me if I'm not there?"

So how do you throw an office party that includes everybody?

Of course, planning an office party is an exciting project, and you want it to be a positive experience for everyone. On the other hand, you can’t please everybody. While most colleagues will appreciate your efforts to consider everyone's needs, others—who don't want any change within their established traditions—might hinder your suggestions.

If you’re a manager, a people operation, a member of the event committee, or the party person in charge at your company, this episode—my first solo episode—is for you! Today, I dive into my eight tips for keeping your office holiday party and celebration inclusive, diverse, nourishing, and (most of all) enjoyable for everybody.

Key Take-aways

Short on time? Here are my eight tips on planning an inclusive, diverse, and nourishing office party:

- Start and focus on people
- Avoid any assumptions
- Step into your power as a host and lead by example
- Enjoy it responsibly. Don't make it about alcohol
- Think about other events you could celebrate throughout the year
- Serve something for everybody. Keep dietary restrictions in mind
- Buy consciously and support your local community
- Enjoy yourself

Find these tips useful? Have more tips to share? Tag your thoughts #thenourishingworkplacepod for a chance to be featured.

Show Notes

A shortlist of articles and resources mentioned in this episode plus further resources:

- Knoll's Jenny West – How to Infuse Hospitality in Your Workplace mentioned in Tip 1 (ep03 of The Nourishing Workplace)
- Rei Chou – How to Create Intentional Space for Presence and Connection mentioned in Tip 3 (