As an employer, you have a lot to be thankful for – the talented employees you have on your teamwork in and out every day to drive the collective success of your company. Without their sacrifice, you wouldn’t be in the position to lead or steer your vision into the future. Without your clients, you’d have a hard time getting your business off the ground. Since Thanksgiving is a time to express appreciation and gratitude, now is the perfect time to consider giving back.
Here are a few ways to celebrate and give thanks:
Celebrate with food
If you’re considering celebrating Thanksgiving at all, know that food will have to be part of the experience. It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without all the trimmings of a delicious, festive meal.
You can organize a company potluck and have all your employees bring a dish to share the week of Thanksgiving. Or, if you have the budget, you could cater to a Thanksgiving lunch. Be sure to consider everyone’s dietary restrictions.
Give back
Thanksgiving is a time for counting your blessings and giving back to others. Spearhead a volunteer initiative and invite your employees to participate.
For instance, you could put together Thanksgiving charity baskets for individuals and families in need including a turkey, food, toys, toiletries, and other basic necessities. You can find your local shelter through the Homeless Shelter Directory.
You can also involve all your employees in donating food to your local food bank. Simply visit Feeding America and type in your zip code to locate your local food bank.
Create a company cookbook
If food is a shared passion amongst your employees, have everyone bring in a recipe and create a company cookbook. Credit each contributor and share the cookbook around work so everyone can read it and write down the recipes they’re interested in. Ask employees to share pictures of the food so you can post them on social media or add them to the cookbook.
Serve the community
Whether you serve a meal at a soup kitchen, visit the elderly, or help pack bags at a food pantry, there are so many ways you can impact the community and volunteer on Thanksgiving or the week of Thanksgiving. If you’re interested in joining a volunteer project, you can look up shelters and local opportunities to volunteer at The National Coalition for the Homeless website.
Create a wall of gratitude
Place a large whiteboard or poster board in a prominent area in the office and invite employees to jot down what they’re thankful for this Thanksgiving. Stock the area with markers and post-it notes, and watch as a beautiful thankfulness wall is created. On the note of being thankful, also take the opportunity to thank customers and supporters for their help, business, and loyalty.
Throw a party
There’s nothing like having a good old-fashioned Thanksgiving party or social hour. All your employees will appreciate getting into the festive spirit and celebrating as a team. If you want to make your party the toast of the town, go the extra mile and add some fun to the festivities by having a fun Thanksgiving-themed photo booth and a company-wide raffle. You could raffle off an extra half-hour paid lunch, a pair of movie tickets, a gift card, or even an extra vacation day.
Give them time off
Let your employees leave early Wednesday or take both Thursday and Friday off. Everyone already has Thanksgiving on the mind — so why not be the best boss ever and make it a true holiday weekend? Studies show that work/life balance is important to all employees, so this the perfect opportunity to give back to your employees and give them some TLC.
Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks. We want to thank you for clicking on this blog post and reading our content.