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Most people know what the Elf on the Shelf is. If you haven’t heard of it, you may be from some far, far away planet. For me, my Facebook timeline is flooded with pictures of elves doing all sorts of silly things this time of year. So I got to thinking about ways the Elf on the Shelf could be used beyond just being for kids and the office is just the place.
The Elf on the Shelf Concept
Just in case you aren’t sure what the Elf on the Shelf is, here is a quick summary for you. Elf on the Shelf is a story that explains how Santa get’s some help determining who is naughty and who is nice. This is done by having a scout elf come to a child’s home every night. This usually starts somewhere between the day after Thanksgiving and within a few weeks after.
The children are assigned an elf that they name themselves, however, they are not allowed to touch their elf. Doing so will cause their elf to lose its magic. An elf with all of his or her magic intact flies back to the North Pole each night. They report to Santa on the child’s behavior and returns by morning.
This is a great way for parents to get their children to mind their Ps and Qs. Kid’s don’t want a bad report sent to Santa! The elf’s work is usually complete on Christmas Eve. That’s when he/she returns to the North Pole for a long vacation with Santa until next year.
What does the Elf on the Shelf do?
The elves are so fast that they get a little bored after their report has been filed with Santa. So what do they do? They end up doing mischievous and fun things while the children are sleeping. Parents, including myself, get pretty into finding new and creative ways to top what their elf did the night before. But why does this have to be limited to children and why should it be limited to the home? Why not use this concept for the office? It can boost office morale and provide an incentive to be the best you can be at your job!
Elf on the Shelf – Office Edition
You could still have the same parameters, sticking with the same timeline, or maybe start it the week before or the week of Thanksgiving to get people into the holiday spirit. If you are in a larger office you can have more than one elf visiting multiple employees. You can have your boss or peers determine who has been worthy enough to have the elf visit them. Set some guidelines and rules for how your employees will be able to have the elf visit their desk at night.
Once the rules have been determined for where the elf will go you could have a committee or a few people dedicated to placing the elf at the winner’s desk. There are lots of great and fun ways to have the elves do funny things. A couple examples could be things like Elf Twister or a snowball fight with marshmallows. Pinterest is also another great place to check for fun Elf on the Shelf ideas. The ideas really are limitless.
If you have people in the office that don’t celebrate Christmas just keep it themed as an office incentive program. Using the elf as merely a prop to show that they are the person who is being recognized that day. Work is a great place to be focused and accomplish the company’s goals, but there is no reason why you and your employees can’t have fun and enjoy yourselves this holiday season.
Do you have any fun and creative ideas to use this concept for the office? Please let us know in the comments! We would love to hear your ideas.