As we reach the end of 2020 the holidays are on everyone’s mind and one thing is for sure: this holiday season is going to look different. For many employers, holiday parties are the highlight and main celebration of the end of the year, so how can managers and HR teams replace these parties with a similar company-wide culture and camaraderie standpoint? 

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has changed almost everything about how we live and in some respects, how we keep ourselves healthy. As a result, employee wellness programs also must adjust to the current times to account for shifts in employees’ habits, including their work/life dynamics, as 62% of U.S. employees continue to work from home due to the pandemic (according to talentlyft).

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect how Americans live and work, we have been in “pandemic times” for long enough to recognize patterns about how employees stay engaged with their employers and what companies can do to maintain employee engagement.

We’re on the precipice of what is being called a “twindemic,” the possibility that we’ll be managing both the spread of influenza and a new wave of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Such a scenario has the potential to put patients at higher risk for infection, as well as put hospitals at risk for becoming overwhelmed.

While there's no vaccine for COVID-19, there is one for influenza. With the possibility of a new surge of COVID-19 in the fall and winter, health experts and officials are encouraging early flu shots to avoid what has been dubbed a "twindemic"—a severe flu season combined with a new wave of COVID-19.