For us, a corporate holiday is much more than entertainment or an annual tradition. It can become an effective tool for forming a corporate culture, as it unites people around common values and meanings. An event that has not only an external form, but also a well-thought-out content, works as a strategic communication: it creates a sense of community, increases employee loyalty, forms an emotional connection with the company, broadcasts the brand's values to the outside world, influencing its reputation.
Birthday mission: small gestures are of great value
In conditions of war, celebrations take on a new dimension and often become a way to support each other and strengthen a sense of community. This is what we were guided by when choosing the format of this year's company day. We stopped at a fair of good deeds, because the goal dictates the format. Employees received "holiday banknotes" - bonuses that they could independently dispose of. Spending them on themselves is absolutely normal, because the company invests in gifts every year anyway. But if employees decided to donate to support their colleagues in the military, the company doubled the amount, increasing the contribution.
Teams often bring together people of different generations and professions, which complicates the idea of a universal gift - it is important to find something that unites everyone and has deep meaning. Today - it is about helping the military. Unlike events in the format of auctions or one-time contributions, the fair made charity the main focus, rethinking the already familiar form of assistance. Employees themselves decided what to spend their bonuses on, and this gives a sense of responsibility and involvement in a common cause.
Rewarding the most active colleagues organically continues the idea of involvement: it motivates the team, strengthens the culture of support, demonstrates that the company values you not only as specialists, but also as individuals. Additional bonuses for good deeds — donation, volunteering, lectures, factory tours, sports — encourage people to join social initiatives, showing that participation is valued outside of work. A donation point with a doubling of contributions not only increases the effect of assistance, but also emphasizes the partnership between business and employees and demonstrates the employer's brand as socially responsible.
The power of good deeds in tradition and modernity: how to create corporate magic
On the day of the celebration, the company's territory became a platform for lively activities. Folk motifs sounded in modern arrangements of an ethno group, guests wore stylish embroidered shirts, the decorations reinforced the theme of the holiday, and those present received a basket of souvenirs. Among the locations of the fair was a corner where employees brought their products: from homemade cookies and flowerpots to embroidered paintings and decorative elements; others helped organize the space or shared ideas. This added a special warmth to the event, helped raise more funds for military colleagues, showing that the power of joint actions begins with you.
So that everyone could join in, we organized a transfer for those who were not on shift or had vacation. Such a goal motivated employees to join and become part of the team initiative. As a result, a third more people came than expected, which sometimes meant that something was missing, but this did not spoil the atmosphere at all, but only confirmed that a good deed always brings together even more people who care, because instead of using the bonus for themselves, people chose to double their contribution to support their colleagues.
Each activity at the fair combined three key aspects:
participation: employees join in a convenient way, feeling their own impact
culture: a common goal strengthens team spirit and unity
employer brand: the company demonstrates social responsibility, care for the team, and creates a positive image for potential and current employees.
Thus, the fair became a practical implementation of the company's values, where every contribution is tangible, and the common goal - helping colleagues on the front line - is part of the corporate tradition.
Everything under control: how not to lose control during the preparation process
It is important to take care of internal communication channels in advance: for several weeks before the event, ensure accurate and consistent communication in all available channels in accordance with the TOV. Remember that people are the foundation of the company. Show their achievements, development and contribution through special projects, interviews or mini-stories.
One of the important stages of preparation is the choice of an event agency or the decision to organize a holiday on your own. A small event can do without outside help, but for events with hundreds of employees, professional support greatly simplifies the process. At the same time, agencies often offer ready-made "concepts", and trendy topics or films rarely reflect the true meaning of the company.
The ideal synergy is when the core of the concept is created by the internal team, and the agency externally refines and implements it. This was the case in our case. The idea was invented by the internal team, which allowed us to weave our values into every element of the holiday and lay down all the strategic meanings: from big ideas to small details, such as the use of historical photos of the factory for the design of banknotes. If there is an opportunity to make the framework of the concept by the internal team, it is a must-have.
When organizing an event by an external agency, it is important to define clear selection criteria in advance: experience, reputation, proactiveness in planning, distribution of roles, etc. Adhering to these principles helps to maintain control over the process, ensures the involvement of all involved, and makes the celebration thoughtful, safe, and effective for the corporate culture and employer brand. After all, a corporate event is a reflection of the company, its values, and attitude towards people.
Joint action: when a celebration is measured not only by emotions, but also by results
A corporate celebration should be evaluated not only by the emotional atmosphere, but also by specific results: the level of interest, involvement, and satisfaction of the team, participation in internal activities, and social initiatives. This approach allows you to determine what worked best and what can be improved next time. This makes the celebration not only emotional, but also an effective tool for strengthening corporate culture.
In our case, about 70% of employees actively participated in the fair, and thanks to the collected donations, we managed to support colleagues on the front line for the amount of UAH 1.1 million. But the numbers are only part of the result. The most valuable effect is the experience of participation, where each person felt that it was up to them to choose whether to turn the gift bonuses into their own pleasure or to help those who defend the country. Such a balance of form and content makes the event meaningful for everyone and at the same time demonstrates the company's care and its social responsibility. This is more than a tradition: this is how a birthday becomes an event that unites the team and shapes corporate culture.
