Christmas holidays are a part of the year that everyone looks forward to, regardless of their backgrounds. It is the happiest time of the year, and everyone is ecstatic to spend quality time with family and friends. Most people consider their workplace a second home and their colleagues a second family. It makes sense that they also celebrate festivals or happy occasions with their colleagues. Joshua Northcott, the co-founder of Hounder, ensures that his teams celebrate the Christmas holidays with their families and also with each other to establish healthy connections and tight bonds among themselves.
Making connections and bonds that last long and stay true can be difficult, but Joshua helps his team members by celebrating holidays together as a team. After the designated holidays, he plans hangouts and lunches for the entire team to support them and build upon the trust they already share working together. These get-togethers help them get to know each other better and connect on a personal level. With lighthearted conversation and good food, the team bonds with one another. This helps Joshua maintain a friendly atmosphere at the Hounder office.
Another Christmas tradition Joshua practices with his colleagues is Secret Santa. Since everyone is tech-savvy, the team formulates a link that generates randomized names for people to give gifts to. This way, no one knows who the gift is going to be from, adding to the festivity of the holidays. The entire team then opens the gifts over Zoom meetings and tries to guess who gave them the present. Past presents have included humorous graphic t-shirts, hats, calendars, and much more.
Celebrating holidays in such a traditional manner at the workplace helps people bond and connect with each other. It also helps them stay positive, motivated, and produce quality work for the clients at Hounder. This strategy also remedies the post-holiday blues which most employees go through. Showcasing this on their Youtube channel web series “Off Leash,” Joshua is sending a message to their clients and the world that workplaces can simultaneously be fun and productive.
Making the workplace environment feel like home for the employees helps the company attract talented people and produce quality work. This work-life balance is the reason Hounder has been able to retain its clients for almost a decade. And it is no surprise that Joshua’s goal of being North America’s best software service company is not far off.
To watch Hounder’s web series “Off Leash,” click here.