Huat ah! Amidst all the festive cheer this January, you may be wondering what your company needs to do to usher in the Year of the Rabbit. Here’s a comprehensive checklist on how to celebrate Chinese New Year (CNY) 2023 in the office:

1. Give CNY Gifts to Your Business Clients and Employees

CNY is the season of overflowing abundance and prosperity. It is imperative for your company to maintain relationships with your clients during CNY. Giving thoughtful gifts to the clients of your company will remind them of your company’s generosity and strengthen the bonds that exist.

What if the onus falls on you—the HR Department—to be in charge of the logistics of gift giving? Don’t worry because we have prepared some useful tips to help you ace this role! 

Firstly, the most common CNY gift is a hamper, which can be specially crafted to suit your clients’ needs. The CNY hamper can be filled with products steeped in lucky symbolism, including but not limited to fresh fruits, chocolate, canned abalone and dried scallops. Send the hamper to your clients with an auspicious CNY greeting for their business to flourish in the New Year ahead!

Besides hampers, you can also give out customised Angbaos with your company’s logo. This will help your company increase brand awareness and ensure that your company remains top of mind with your clients.

Furthermore, don’t forget your employees! You can arrange a small gift for each of your employees as a token of appreciation. It can be as simple as a pair of mandarin oranges in a classic orange carrier which your employees can carry around during CNY visitations.

2. Spring Clean and Decorate Your Office

Spring cleaning is often practised at home the week before CNY—but there’s no reason why the office space should be exempted. Take this golden opportunity to spring clean your office! You should start off by decluttering common spaces and discarding any old paperwork or unused items. Then, wipe down every surface and furniture with a strong disinfectant.

After your office is thoroughly cleaned and vacuumed, it’s time to decorate with bright CNY décor. Hang several red lanterns around your office, alongside calligraphy couplets on red paper pasted on both sides of the front door. To add to the festive mood, stock the office pantry (which has since been cleared of all expired food) with yummy CNY goodies such as pineapple tarts.

3. Organise a Reunion Lunch or Dinner with Lohei

What better way to foster togetherness among your employees than to organise a reunion lunch or dinner during the CNY period? Now that Covid-19 pandemic restrictions have been lifted, you can finally celebrate CNY as a company.

There is a wide variety of restaurants and hotels in Singapore which offer special CNY reunion set menus—make your reservation before they are fully booked. If your company is on a tight budget, throw a CNY potluck party where every employee is tasked to bring a dish.

Regardless of where the lunch or dinner is held, remember to include a Lohei segment at the very end. Lohei is a boisterous CNY tradition whereby you toss a raw fish salad (yusheng) as high as possible in the air whilst shouting auspicious phrases. With an abundance of halal options to choose from these days, all your employees can partake with laughter in this festive fun!

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