How to Create Great Employee Events

Employee events are a great opportunity for team-building, getting to know one another, and blowing off steam after a hard season of work. Some companies prefer an occasional happy hour and holiday party, while others incorporate regular employee events into their yearly planning. Whichever your strategy, keep in mind the following best practices:

Ask Employees for Event Ideas
When given a chance to influence or contribute to an event, employees will carry a sense of ownership for the event. After all, it is the employees who will know best whether this is a large contingent of people who are interested in microbrews, golf, or yoga. Let them help find an activity that will please everyone!

Remote Employees Count, Too
If you have multiple offices, it might be feasible to invite your remote employees to travel to the nearest event. Make sure remote employees are at the very least invited, if they aren't able to participate in the event. If you are planning any raffles or gift baskets, send one to the remote employee's home so they feel included and valued.

Budget
Not every event needs to have a massive budget. With a yearly budget in mind, figure out how to allocate resources to plan both big and small events. Maybe have one big bash and smaller events throughout the year. Depending on the type of business you have, consider trading goods or services with a local business for a sponsorship.

See how PEX helps control budgets and automate bookkeeping and reporting.

Collect Feedback
Post-event feedback is essential and should be solicited from all employees, anonymously. Ask specific questions about what people liked or didn't like about the event, what could have been done differently, and what the employee wants to see in future events.

For more employee event planning tips, check out this article from BizBash.