Christmas is a time for giving. There is collective power in offices that is often underutilised. One person can make a difference, let alone the force of a whole group of people. Christmas is a wonderful opportunity to show some Corporate Social Responsibility and really make a difference.  Here are some ideas of how your office can help this Christmas.

• ‘Leave day pool’ for anyone in need

  Create a pool of leave days where people contribute leave days that they might not be utilising. This can be used as a safety net for anyone in dire need of additional leave days (such as in cases of family health issues). This annual leave collection can be for one specific person or as a community pool, as a safety net.

   

• Organise a blood drive for your team

  Donating blood drive is a great way to help this Christmas. People are more likely to attend if it is organised as a group, and colleagues feel like they have each other’s back for support. If you’re unsure where to start, more information can be found here to organise a blood drive. A list of around 25 people is usually required in order to be able to organise it. Otherwise, you can carpool to a blood drive happening nearby on scheduled days.

   

• Pick your department’s favourite charity and contribute to it

  Or even better, make your Christmas staff party an opportunity to fundraise for this charity. The Christmas staff party can be a great opportunity for team bonding, but it can also be a wonderful moment to fundraise for a favourite charity or cause. This contribution can be large or small, and can be a raffle and may also take the form of a fundraising event. Encourage colleagues to bring their families along and post about it on your social channels to not only raise awareness but also encourage others to do the same or help out in some way!

   

• Organise a clean-up with your team

  A clean-up is not only a great team-building exercise but will also raise awareness and help the environment. The environment is not to be forgotten in your CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) efforts! Pick a favourite nature spot (get your team to suggest places in dire need of a clean-up), pick a day, and be there. Take packed lunches for your team and make a day of it. It will be a day to remember and may just become an annual tradition your team will look forward to.

   

• Make a Charity Advent Calendar

  Brainstorm with your team to make a list of things your department can do every day (they can be small) until Christmas. One day could be – collecting food or donations for animal shelters. Another could be making care packages for an orphanage or vulnerable people in society. Another day could be planting a tree, or taking a photo in nature and sharing it (to raise awareness), car pool for the day, and post about it on social media to encourage others. Some days it could be as simple as sharing a post on your social media account with your friends/ followers from an NGOs page to help them reach more audiences.

A recent Keepmeposted survey found that only 18% of employers will not be planning any CSR efforts. There are a lot of Corporate Social Responsibility areas one can invest in that may be in line with the values of your organisation – Health, the Environment, Animals, Culture and the Arts, Heritage and many others. It is worth pausing and considering your best fit. Christmas is a great time to test the waters and plan your CSR efforts for the rest of the year. 

How will your office contribute this year? Share this article with a colleague who needs to see this!