{"id":11754,"date":"2020-01-02T08:00:32","date_gmt":"2020-01-02T13:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"\/blog\/?p=11754"},"modified":"2023-02-21T12:18:53","modified_gmt":"2023-02-21T17:18:53","slug":"how-to-host-a-secret-santa-for-remote-employees-elf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/02\/how-to-host-a-secret-santa-for-remote-employees-elf\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Host a Secret Santa for Remote Employees"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Secret<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I got my first job out of college in 2001. At our first Christmas party, we had a few people who worked in an office outpost at another city call in via speakerphone<\/em> for a toast. We just had to assume they had a drink in their hand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needless to say, there wasn\u2019t much of a holiday contingency plan for remote employees. That\u2019s because the idea of remote employees was pretty absurd back then. Sure, some techno-futurists were predicting it, but it seemed impossible to have a truly remote workforce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, times change fast. Now, more and more workers are remote, and some companies don\u2019t even have a physical office. That can make the holidays tricky; what do you do if coworkers can\u2019t gather together in the same room for fun and games? The good news is that the same technology that enables virtual workforces makes it possible to host a Secret Santa for remote employees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technology has changed things. But the magic of Secret Santa proves that you don\u2019t have to be near to be close. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Office Holiday Parties Matter <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Look, I know that things can get stressful at work sometimes. You might not always feel like partying. But that\u2019s exactly why office parties are important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After all, you\u2019ve worked hard all year. You\u2019ve worked next to people who you see for one-third of every day, five days a week. It\u2019s nice to blow off steam and see people in a more casual setting. It\u2019s important to build morale and community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is doubly true if you have a remote workforce. When you don\u2019t regularly see each other face-to-face, it\u2019s even more critical that you set aside time for some team bonding. People who feel closer work better together, and it is possible to foster those feelings of closeness in a virtual setting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A holiday party isn\u2019t the only way to make people happy about their jobs, of course. But it\u2019s a start. And a Secret Santa for remote employees is one of the best ways to bring people together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Host a Secret Santa for Remote Employees<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We all know the rules of Secret Santa<\/a>. Everyone draws a name, and you become the Secret Santa of the person whose name you\u2019ve drawn. They make a list of things they want, then you get them a gift. They unwrap the present and guess who gave it to them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s good holiday fun, but it\u2019s also a great way to bring people together. See, if you play with an online Secret Santa generator<\/a>, you don\u2019t have to be in the same room. Everyone can sign up online and have their names drawn randomly. People can browse items online<\/a> and select from some of the world\u2019s top retailers<\/a>. These lists can be shared online, then giftees can buy directly from the list and ship the present to wherever their partner is located. You can choose to have an office-safe Secret Santa theme<\/a> or just a free-for-all. It\u2019s up to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a remote office, you may not know certain facts about your partner. If you\u2019ve never met someone in person, it\u2019s going to be pretty hard to accurately guess what size T-shirt they might like! But with a good Secret Santa platform, you can ask anonymous questions to get clarification. You can also use the Secret Q & A feature to try to figure out who your Secret Santa is or to throw other people off your scent! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want a longer party, remember that there are lots of other holiday games you can play as a remote office<\/a>. Some of these include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n