The word “Thanksgiving” is comprised of two sentiments that are essential to building and sustaining a positive and unified company culture. Workers thrive in environments in which there is a pervasive feeling of gratitude – to the employer, as well as to one another. In such environments, selfless giving and putting teammates first occurs with daily regularity.

Thanksgiving celebrations are an excellent platform for promoting these concepts within your organization. To inspire yours, we have come up with a few ideas to make this year’s office Thanksgiving party meaningful and memorable:

Tell the Story of Your Company

Promote a feeling of appreciation for your organization by retelling the story of its beginnings to everyone in the organization. You can do this in a formal staged and rehearsed event, or something more unstructured. Think about how the origin of your company may have paralleled the story of Thanksgiving. Were there themes of people from different backgrounds coming together, learning from one another, collaborating and cherishing what they had created? Were there cultural differences that had to be overcome with a shared willingness to understand diverse backgrounds? Ask employees who were there when your company started to share their experiences and to relate them to the themes of Thanksgiving.

Give Back Together

As fortunate as many of us are to work for thriving organizations, we can develop an insular culture if we don’t venture out as a group out into the community around us. We can lose our sense of gratitude by never empathizing with or giving to others who are less fortunate. Emphasize the “giving” part of the holiday by taking your team on a volunteering excursion. Cook a meal for the homeless at a local shelter or for families with sick children at the Ronald McDonald House. Work together to organize the shelves at the local Salvation Army store, or hold a food drive with a goal of reaching a set amount of canned goods. Encourage your employees to talk with the people they meet, learn about their experiences, and relate these stories to colleagues on their return.

Hold a Talent or Cooking Competition

One of the great ways to foster appreciation for one another is to showcase talents that we normally don’t see in the daily work context. Hold a talent or cooking competition and encourage employees to put their musical, comedic, baking, and other skills on display. Each participant will compete on behalf of a charity of their own choosing, hence the “giving” part of this celebration. The winner will have a donation made in their name by the company and receive a commemorative trophy or plaque.

Have a Wall of Gratitude

Have a large wall in a hallway or gathering area as a dedicated space for employees to express gratitude to others in the company. Hand out Post-It pads to every employee and ask them to thank colleagues for their work, positive attitudes, years of service, and anything else that comes to mind. This is a great way for employees to learn about the contributions of others and to give broader recognition for worthy achievements. It should also inspire more team spirit and unity in the year to come.

Celebrate with a College Football-Style Tailgate Party

November is synonymous with Thanksgiving and with football, and the two pair as well as wine and cheese or love and marriage. Replicate the collegiate football tailgating experience by having your Thanksgiving celebration in the parking lot. Enlist the help of all employees with a pickup truck, and ask everyone to bring in their homemade dishes, potluck style to be served on the truck beds. Have the employees dress in their favorite college team’s gear and organize clusters for the University of Texas, the University of Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and any other universities for which you have a substantial number of employees.

Have you already started planning your office Thanksgiving celebration? Have an idea that you would like to share with our community? Tell us about your best ideas for promoting team unity on our Facebook page!