While some of your team are finishing work, others are just starting. A Christmas party for shift workers therefore needs several well-planned time slots. The key is to give every group a comparable experience: a hot meal, a programme prepared in advance and time for personal conversations.
The first step in planning is to look at the shift rota. Which teams can celebrate together? Where does a handover need to take place? And who will keep operations running in the meantime? Once you have answered these questions, you can develop a Christmas concept that fits your working day.
Plan the time slots around your operations
Speak to the people responsible for each shift early on. For each team, find out the potential number of participants, the time available and the journey time to the venue. An hour between two appointments can quickly be taken up when the outward and return journeys alone take twenty minutes.
Schedule the handover as a separate appointment. The meal, welcome or game should only begin once the team in question can actually take part. Make sure there is also time for tidying up and returning to work. Discuss with the people responsible for operations whether it makes sense to hold the celebration before, during or after a shift.
One possible format consists of several recurring elements: arrival, a meal together, a personal welcome and an activity. The exact duration will depend on your time slots. A short gathering needs a suitably compact programme; if you are planning a longer game, set aside a dedicated time slot.
Ensure every shift gets the same quality
Set a shared standard for all celebration times. This includes the selection and quantity of food, drinks available, seating and a designated point of contact. The last group should be just as able to choose from the agreed offering as the first.
A brief handover list for the event team is useful:
- How many guests are expected in the next time slot?
- Which food and drinks need to be freshly prepared?
- Have the tables, materials and game stations been set up again?
- Who will welcome the group and guide them through the programme?
- Which feedback from the previous session is relevant?
Personal appreciation should also be part of the planning. If a manager cannot attend every time slot, arrange an appropriate stand-in. A prepared message can complement the welcome. There should still be a dedicated place in the programme for direct, in-person interaction.
A Christmas market on your company premises as a starting point
Our Mobile Christmas Market
brings stalls, Christmas decorations and food and drink options to your company premises. The published concept includes, among other things, a grill and waffle bar. For a business with several shifts, being close to the workplace is a useful starting point.
Use across several shift time slots needs to be planned individually. Opening hours, staffing, replenishment and, where necessary, additional set-up days should all be agreed. Adding an entry to the shift rota does not turn a Christmas market running for several hours into an offering available all day.
Also check that the event area is easy to reach and supports the running of your business. Delivery routes and work areas need to be kept at a sufficient distance from the celebration. A sheltered area to spend time in makes taking part more comfortable, even when the time slot is short.
Solving puzzles together takes enough time
Escape for Christmas is an option for groups with a longer, uninterrupted time slot. This mobile Christmas programme features puzzles, locked boxes and a shared story. It can, for example, take place at your company.
The stated game time starts at 60 minutes. Add time for the welcome, instructions and conclusion to your schedule. With several groups, you will also need to coordinate preparations between sessions. So make sure you schedule this format as a separate programme item, with enough time.
Make the invitation clear for every group
State the allocated time slot, meeting point and schedule in the invitation. Let people know who they should contact if their shift changes. Ask about food preferences and other needs in advance so they can be taken into account for every session.
To start your enquiry, all you need are the shift time slots, group sizes and available spaces. We can then work with you to check which Christmas programme fits the schedule and what services are needed to provide equally good celebrations across several dates.
