4 ways to make the last workday of the year a happy one for your employees

Whether an employee is leaving your organization or you’re looking forward to the festive season after a year of hard graft, it’s important to commemorate their last workday of the year with style. 

Not only is this commemoration important for your team’s morale if your employee is leaving, but it’s also crucial for enhancing the camaraderie of your employees at the end of a tough year. 

So how can you make it memorable? How can you plan and ensure you keep meeting targets as a skilled team?

Consider the four ways we’ve listed below to make the last workday of the year a happy one for employees and why skills testing platforms like TestGorilla are essential.

What is meant by “last working day”?

The phrase “last working day” refers to an employee’s last day of work for your organization. It excludes any severance pay period or other indemnity-related timeframes, and your corporation will typically determine the last working day. 

Since it’s your employee’s final day working with your team, you may consider marking it with a special event.

What is meant by the last working day of the year?

In other contexts, employees also talk about the last working day of the year, which tends to fall on the final day of December. After 250 federal working days, your employees will look forward to December 31st, as it’s part of the holiday season. 

Many will have vacation time during this part of the year, and although December 31st isn’t a federal holiday in the US many employers mark it as a special day for their staff.

4 reward and event ideas for the workplace to keep employees happy

But how can you make the last workday of the year special, and what are some inexpensive ways to keep employees happy? Check out these four event ideas to celebrate the achievements of another year.

1. Surprise your employees with some lunch to ensure their efforts are appreciated 

After a long, challenging year, you can ensure your employees feel motivated and appreciated by surprising them with lunch. It’s a great opportunity to propose a toast and talk about the challenges you have confronted as a team. Make sure you take the chance to thank your employees for their work and encourage them to keep it up.

2. Reward your employees with a thank-you gift

Vouchers, a drink of their choice, paid holiday days, experience days – there are plenty of ways to reward your employees and ensure the last workday of the year is enjoyable. 

If you’re wondering, “how do I make my employees happy at work?” a thank-you gift or reward at the end of the year can reflect the holiday season mood and show gratitude simultaneously. And if you’re saying goodbye to an employee, this option also works well to mark their efforts with your team.

3. Arrange a virtual get-together with your teams

Even if your teams work remotely, there’s no reason you can’t still celebrate their efforts. A virtual get-together is one option to commemorate the last workday of the year. This is an inexpensive option to show appreciation for your employees’ work.

Make the virtual get-together festive with exciting events, such as quizzes, photo-sharing opportunities, and festive team days. You’ve also got the option of sending a group message to your entire team to thank them for their work (especially if some team members can’t join a virtual get-together).

4. Arrange a festive potluck with all employees

Making the last workday of the year enjoyable should involve the whole team, and what better way to celebrate it than with a festive potluck meal? Your team can each create a festive dish and share it with everyone to celebrate the work you’ve all done. 

Don’t forget to bring a bottle of bubbly – non-alcoholic versions can also be a good alternative – to begin the celebrations and look ahead to next year.

How many working days are there in each month of 2023?

As you plan for your employees and business for 2023, consider that there are 20.75 average business days for each month in 2023. This number can fall to 19 or increase to 22, as the number of days varies each month, so plan your projects accordingly.

How many working days are there in January 2023?

In January 2023 in the US, your team will return to work and complete 20 working days. If you’ve done an excellent job making the last workday of the year a happy one, the holiday cheer and celebrations should continue into the new year.

What is the best way to evaluate a new employee’s skills?

If you need to employ a new candidate after someone has marked their final workday, there’s one option that makes the hiring process easier: skills assessments.

Skills assessments enable you to shorten your time-to-hire metrics and evaluate a new employee’s skills accurately to determine whether they will be a suitable replacement.

Skills assessments are made up of several skills tests. You can choose from a range of Culture Add, technical skills tests, and personality tests (such as our DISC test), to build your assessment.

Once you have the assessment results after sourcing your candidates, you can take a more data-driven approach to shortlist suitable replacements for an interview.

How can you ensure your team keeps meeting targets after the last workday of the year?

Ensuring your team has the right skills and giving your staff good training opportunities will help ensure they keep meeting targets after the last workday of the year. As you head into the new year, your organization may consider checking upskilling opportunities for employees, and there’s no easier way to achieve this than with skills tests.

With a skills test, you can benchmark new and existing employee skills, note the skills they need to improve, and collaborate with them to agree on the best development opportunities.

For instance, if your top sales team member leaves, you can ask their replacement to take a Motivation test or B2B Sales skills test, review the skills they lack, and work on training sessions tailored to them.

Making your employees happy on the last workday of the year: Things to remember

You should aim to achieve two things on the last workday of the year: Celebrate and show appreciation for your employees’ hard work and ensure you look forward to the next year. Whichever event you choose to celebrate the year, try to keep these two objectives in mind. That way, you’ll keep your employees motivated, focused, and happy. 

And don’t forget that when replacing or upskilling employees, skills tests can assist you. For more information, check out TestGorilla.