Keep calm and celebrate! Tips for an inclusive, low-stress office holiday season.

You can feel it in the air and you can see it in the stores. The holiday season is upon us. As HR professionals, it can fall to us to set the tone and pace for how our offices recognize various holidays. So, we’ve put together some helpful tips to guide you through this whirlwind time of year. Bonus hint: Make sure to take some time for you.

A wall of thanks

Even people who don’t like to be the center of attention want to be acknowledged and appreciated. One way to do this is to dedicate a portion of one of your office walls to honor one another.

Next, they will write the other team members’ names at the top of each card, then they will write something they appreciate about each person.

The cards are then mixed up and attached to the space on the wall. The process becomes an uplifting treasure hunt as each person searches for the cards with their names on them.

Tell your company story

Instead of telling the story of the original Thanksgiving, share the story of your company’s journey.

To do this, recruit a few team members to help you write and act out the company history. Incorporate some:

• Costumes
• Company jokes
• Audience participation

Recipe contest

Among the top common Thanksgiving work party ideas is a potluck get-together by which everyone has a chance to contribute to a shared celebratory meal. Why not expand the scope of that feast and invite everyone to contribute a homemade version of a favorite dish, accompanied by the recipe, for playful “judging”?

Compete in games with a festive theme

• Pumpkin bowling
• Thanksgiving bingo
• Online scavenger hunt

During the holiday season, it’s common for employers to host one or more holiday soirees, but it’s also essential to ensure that holiday celebrations are a celebration for all faiths. By not targeting a specific holiday, such as Christmas, your bash can be one for all to enjoy! With the right strategy, companies can not only balance the differences, but truly embrace them creating an inclusive environment.

1. Planning.

Instead of delegating all planning activities to one or two people, try to assemble a group of diverse colleagues to provide insight throughout the party planning process. This can be an opportunity to highlight many traditions in an inclusive manner. It can also help to reduce conflict with certain beliefs.

2. Timing.

Rather than holding your holiday celebration at year-end, consider a New Year’s celebration instead. Not only does this help to reduce association with particular holidays or religions, but it can also serve as a kickoff for the company’s new calendar year. This is a great opportunity to celebrate the previous year’s successes and motivate employees to achieve goals and rally behind the company mission.

3. Decoration.

Stick to neutral color pallets rather than colors like “blues and whites” or “reds and greens” which may be associated with a particular faith. Alternatively, you can theme the party to your company’s branding, which can be especially effective if timing the event to the kickoff of a new year. If you’ll be providing gifts or prizes, consider stacking them nicely on the ground or a table rather than placing them under a decorated tree.

The state of mental health is not linear, but it is always present. Sometimes, it includes feelings of joy and happiness while other times it feels like loneliness, anxiety or depression. We may simultaneously experience a mixture of many feelings, thoughts and emotions at one time. While the types and intensities of these feelings vary from person to person, as human beings, we can all soar, and we can all struggle. This is our mental health story.

This time of year, shorter days, holiday demands and end-of-year obligations may drive how we feel, think and behave. As part of a small or medium-size business, there are unique stressors to deal with. There are year-end deadlines, and seasonal priorities, as well as family obligations. Your employees might also be going through twists and turns in their own mental health stories, exacerbated by all the demands that appear between October and January, coupled with the seasonal expectation of unwavering cheer.

When someone is struggling, it can show up in every aspect of their lives, including the workplace. However, when employees feel their mental health is being supported, they are less likely to miss work and underperform. Supporting mental health, through this season and beyond, is beneficial across the board. The question then becomes, how can you offer that support?

Prepare for the season of celebrating with this perfectly timed event. Get strategies that will help you wrap up the year with a smile.