66% of Americans reported additional stress at work over the holidays.
And this does not stop at the blues or the Sunday scaries. Holiday stress and other stressors can lead to poor office productivity, which in turn affects a company’s bottom line.
With business needs increasingly requiring employees to work over the holidays, it’s becoming more important to find ways to mitigate stress.
Among the easiest ways to do this is to use office decorations to create an environment that is fun, relaxing but still conducive to work-related tasks.
Here are tips for making seasonal office decorations that enhance your workplace.
1. Go Small
The professional feel and appearance of the office space can make it difficult to go full-throttle on seasonal decorations.
At the end of the day, the office space is meant for work, and too much workspace décor may get in the way of your duties.
As such, limit your ambition and go small with your office decorations. Roll out subtle workplace decorations that will not get in the way of work.
For instance, it would not be prudent to bring in a full-grown Christmas tree in smaller workspaces – it would be distracting and take up most of the space.
The small decorations you settle on for your workspace should nevertheless be symbolic of the holiday season.
Whether it is office Christmas decorations or office Halloween decorations, find something symbolic that you and everyone at the office will identify with.
2. Bring out the Cards
It is only polite to exchange festive cards during the holidays.
Cards also double as an ideal holiday office decorations. They are symbolic and subtle enough not to hinder work, and there is no limit to the creativity you can engage in using holiday cards.
With thousands of different styles to choose from, you can create whatever effect you wish using holiday cards.
The best way to use them as décor is by displaying them around the office. You can hang them around in patters, plaster them on the walls, or place them on strategic spots around the office.
After the festivities, you can look into recycling the cards, as part of your going green initiatives.
3. Roll out the Festivity Mugs
Virtually every office sports a mug as everyone appreciates a refreshing beverage when working.
Whether it is coffee, tea, or chocolate, the mug is a set fixture at the office. Whatever your beverage of choice, you can get your mugs themed and decorated to reflect the ongoing holiday season.
Mugs sporting pictures of snowflakes or Christmas trees are a pleasant reminder of the festivities and thus qualify as décor. They also add cheer to your beverage of choice and can help people get in a celebratory mood.
4. Embrace the Lights
Nothing grabs attention as much as light. In fact, light is a core factor of most of the major holidays, including Christmas and Halloween.
You simply cannot go wrong with lights for holiday office decorations.
Hang strings of light around your office space, be it individual offices, shared workspaces as well as common areas.
If you are working with small office spaces, be subtle and hang lights that are not too bright or flashy as it can be distracting for you as well as your employees.
Ensure that the lights you choose to go with reflect the holiday.
For instance, Christmas calls for bright red and white lights while Halloween decorations call for darker tones of light. You can also utilize creative lighting for your signage. Read more here about that.
5. Roll out Wrapping Paper
Wrapping paper is as big as you can go when it comes to holiday office decorations.
By being creative with this paper, you can decorate your entire office to make a statement that will catch everyone’s attention.
There are numerous styles and themes to choose from when it comes to decorative wrapping paper for all sorts of holidays.
For office Christmas decorations you are guaranteed to find themed wrapping papers while dark, themed wrapping papers will work excellently for office Halloween decorations.
There is so much you can do with wrapping paper including covering the walls with it or wrapping specific objects in your office – it all depends on your level of creativity.
6. Everyone Loves Candy
Candy goes well with most occasions, especially holidays. In fact, one of the main features of Halloween is candy, and it is also a major component of Christmas.
A big bowl of candy will not only decorate the office and add that holiday touch but also get everyone interested in your office decorations. Be sure to pass the candy around so everyone in the office can get in the holiday mood.
7. Illuminating Office Decorations: Light the Candles
Candles are symbolic for most holidays. They symbolize the warmness associated with holiday festivities.
More than that; scented candles give off aromatic smells that get everyone in the office in a good mood. As such, go ahead and light one or two candles.
In some cases, it may not be possible to light scented candles at the office owing to fire risks.
If this is the case at your office, you can always use scented sprays. These may not have the symbolic flame but will still get the job done for office decorations.
8. Ceiling Decorations
Hanging festive decorative trinkets will add lots of charm to the entire office. You can go with white and red swirling hang downs for office Christmas decorations.
White hanging flakes can also create the impression of snow falling from the sky, for an authentic white Christmas feel.
For office Halloween decorations, you can get as scary as possible with gory faces and lighted cut-ups. You can even use your employee’s faces to personalize the décor if you opt for spooky silly office decorations.
You Can't Go Wrong with Office Decorations
Holidays don’t have to get in the way of work, and work doesn’t have to get between you and the festivities.
If your employees need to work during the holidays, these office decorations will breathe life into your office and get everyone in a festive mood.
Office decorations can go a long way in improving your brand. Check out this blog to get insights on branding mistakes that could damage your image.
