February 15th, 2023
How to set work goals that actually stick
Property Management
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The holiday season is upon us, and here at PropertyMe we couldn’t be more excited for this time of year. December can be a hard time to stay motivated, so to boost the holiday spirit we have compiled our five favourite team-building activities that bring festive cheer and get you ready for the new year. These range from slightly silly team building opportunities with ornament making and gingerbread decorating, to finding your new year goals and and refocusing mindsets. This list will give you all the blueprints to add holiday events to your calendar and team goal focusing for 2024.
1. Christmas Party
Let’s start off with the most common way to kick back and relax at the end of the year. Putting together a work Christmas party is a great way to give back and say thank you to your team. The end of the year can feel like a tough slog and get even the most engaged employees dragging their feet, introducing a team Christmas party allows everyone to kick back and relax. Unsure about what to do? Don’t worry, we have you covered with 25 Christmas party ideas to get the ball rolling. It may be an all Australian classic like barefoot bowls, or maybe something creative like a paint and sip, either way Christmas parties are a perfect way to relax and celebrate the year that’s been. Adding activities like workplace recognition awards, or highlight moments are a great team bonding tool, even gift exchanges. Unlike traditional Secret Santa, we recommend a white elephant gift exchange. This fun Christmas game means you buy a generic (usually gag) gift, gifts are then picked and you can choose between opening your present or trading unwrapped presents with another player, these gift exchanges are less stressful as there is no expectation to pick out the perfect gift, unlike traditional Secret Santa.
2. Office Decorations
Decking the halls with bells and holly is not for the faint of heart, but we think it’s the perfect addition to add to your workspace during December. A welcoming, exciting and well decorated office pertains to a positive working environment. Decorating doesn’t have to be a one-person job, getting the team involved brings everyone together and makes an afternoon out of what can seem like a mammoth task. Here at PropertyMe, we love a competition and it’s always a fun way to get everyone involved, we recommend a desk decoration competition. This can be for both office employees and remote employees to ensure the holiday cheer goes around.
3. Themed activities
Ornaments are a cute keepsake and if you are looking for an easy team-building activity (that can also be a great addition to your office decorations) look no further than putting together a DIY ornament decorating station. This activity is a great addition to your typical Friday drinks. Let the team create their own masterpieces by setting up an ornament-building station at your office, or sending DIY kits home with your team. There’s nothing like a bit of arts and crafts to bring out the laughs and get everyone excited for the end of the year. Another great and on-theme activity to do with your team is group gingerbread decorating. Whether it be putting together houses or the best team portrait made from gingerbread men, this is a fun and easy way to cut back and relax. It is a great team-building activity and you can get both in-office and remote employees involved. We recommend adding categories for the best, worst and most creative, and getting the whole team to vote on the winners. It’s all about taking a moment to relax and have some fun together during the holiday season, plus no matter what you get a delicious treat out of the final product.
4. EOY Wrap
Christmas and the Holiday season means a lot of different things to different people, but one major theme during this time is the new beginnings around the corner. Running your own end-of-year wrap is a great opportunity to sit down with your team and talk about everything that has been achieved. Whether this be the 5 best things that happened during the year or the 5 things you’ve learnt and how you’d apply these lessons differently. Celebrating and reflecting as a team lets you learn more about yourself and each other, it also gives you the chance to appreciate all the contributions made. This is also a great time to look at your new year resolutions and take the time to plan out and set goals to help you refocus. We recommend sitting down and talking about the milestones you’ve accomplished, whether this be personal or professional, and areas that you would like to continue to grow. Refocusing your goals for 2024 as a team, gives the sense of shared accountability and is also a great insight into who your team are as people outside of the workplace.
5. Finding your 2024 theme
The final point we’d like to touch on is finding your theme for 2024. A business theme is a recurring idea that shows up in all your smaller business goals and is something that can greatly impact your business growth and development. There may be some current themes that will always be a part of your core values, like professional growth or team development. Discussing areas that you think the business should work on, like wanting to increase customer satisfaction or decrease staff turnover is a great way to get on the same page. Finding your themes helps get the team motivated for the new year and ensures there is clear communication on what the common goals are.So take this time to brainstorm ways on how you can achieve these shared goals. Taking time to consider multiple perspectives and different ideas can make this an easier process, it also gives a sense of shared contribution if this is done as a team. The Property Management and Me podcast recently spoke to The Director of High Spec Properties Buyers Agents and Joint Deputy of the REINSW Board of Directors, Amanda Gould. Amanda had some great insights on picking your themes and why it’s important to get yourself off on the right foot to ensure you meet your goals later down the line.
The most important takeaway is that no matter if it’s something light and easy like ornament decoration or reflecting together on the high and low points of 2023, it’s important to take the time to give back, say thank you and bond over the year that’s been. Ensuring you create moments of connection and team bonding allows an improved team morale and higher motivation heading into 2024.
