Employee team-building ideas for Pi Day!

Wondering how to celebrate Pi Day with employees? How about fresh-baked pie, team-building games and convenient Pie Gift Certificates from gThankYou? (Photo via Evan Shelhamer, Flickr)

Brighten up the last few weeks of winter with these employee team-building ideas for Pi Day on March 14!
Pi Day — not to be confused with National Pie Day, our other favorite excuse to enjoy pie — is a holiday made up by math geeks to celebrate the irrational number that describes the ratio of a circle’s diameter to its circumference.
That number is typically rounded up and shortened to 3.14, so the holiday is celebrated on March 14. And 3.14 backwards spells … you guessed it, P-I-E. As PBS describes it, “Pi Day is a holiday for math (and pie) enthusiasts to celebrate their love of numbers.”
Pi Day is for the rest of us, too. Everyone loves pie, and even the math-phobic among us can get excited about numbers games and other related activities.
Take advantage of this holiday to engage employees as a break from work and a chance to get to know each other better.
Or, if your workers deal directly with math and numbers — for example, employees in retail or sales — ask them to play numbers-related games or participate in a fun math challenge related to their work.
Bottom line: everyone gets to enjoy a nice slice of pie.
Read on for fun ideas to celebrate your team this Pi Day.

Employee Team-Building Ideas for Pi Day!

Did you know 3.14 spells PIE backwards?Pie is the all-American treat, and pi is a fascinating mathematical concept. Celebrate both on Pi Day — and have fun together as a team in the process!
1. Deliver Pies to Those in Need
There’s something about helping other people, or brightening the day of someone who needs it, that brings out the best in us. Volunteerism is a proven way to engage employees. In fact, many job seekers now look at a company’s volunteering opportunities when evaluating potential employers. Why? Because they want to be part of a company that’s connected to the community and committed to giving back.
And that brings us, naturally, to pie. Delivering pies to those in need in the community is a great team-building activity. Consider homeless shelters, food pantries, nursing homes and anywhere else pie and a little conversation would be appreciated.
2. Enjoy a ‘Pie Break’ Mid-Afternoon
What happens at 3:14 p.m. on 3/14? If your team works a 9-to-5 job, it’s typically the sleepiest and most distracted time of day. Perk up the mid-afternoon slump with a quick break to enjoy pies. It’s OK to interpret “pie” loosely — order sweet pies from a local bakery, or if savory is more to everyone’s tastes, pizza pies from a local parlor. (You may even find some good Pi Day deals, like this pizzeria in Virginia that’s selling build-your-own pizzas on Pi Day for just $3.14.)
Even better: invite the baking hobbyists on staff to bring in their best creations. Make it a party with music, drinks and games.
3. Don’t Forget Remote Workers!
Employees who work from home, at remote locations or on the road shouldn’t miss out on the Pi Day pie fun. Share Pie Gift Certificates with your remote workers so they’re included in the celebration, too.
4. Educate Your Team about the Company’s Financial Benefits
The ins and outs of your company’s employee savings plan, financial literacy benefits or 401(k) options are best shared in a fun and engaging way. Otherwise, chances are employees will get confused by all the stats and numbers and tune out. So use Pi Day as an excuse to present details on these important programs in a light-hearted but educational format.
Don’t forget to serve pie or hand out Pie Gift Certificates as Thank You gifts for attending.
5. Run In a Circle
Runner’s World suggests participating in a “low-key fun run” on Pi Day — by running in a circle for 3.14 miles. Even for the non-runners among us, 3.14 miles is a doable walk. See if anyone locally is organizing a Pi Day Fun Run that your team can join, or start your own!
6. Raise Money for Your Local HS Math Team

Here’s another opportunity to give back to the community: host a bake sale to raise funds for your local high school math team. They’ll appreciate the support, and your employees will enjoy competing for the best pies and other treats to make for the bake sale.
7. Share Gift Certificates for Pie
gThankYou! Pie Certificates! Popular employee team-buidling ideas for Pi Day!gThankYou! Pie Gift Certificates are good for any brand or style of pie, cake or cheesecake and are redeemable at virtually all chain grocery stores in the U.S. It’s an appreciated gift employees can choose to share with family and friends, or enjoy on their own!
Increase the impact of your gifts with short notes of appreciation: gThankYou offers FREE customizable, personalized Gratitude Cards with every order of Pie Gift Certificates, in dozens of design options, including a pie design and Spring- and Easter-themed designs.
Wishing you and your team a happy (and tasty!) Pi Day!
 

For More Workplace Fun Ideas – Download Your Employee Celebration Calendar

Invigorate your employee recognition planning! Download gThankYou’s FREE “Day-to-Day Employee Celebration Calendar” today and build an everyday culture of appreciation that employees will love.
We’ve updated our annual day-to-day appreciation calendar with lots of new topics, new case studies and even more holidays and reasons to celebrate! As in previous years, the gThankYou calendar is jam-packed with insights into the latest HR trends, how-to tutorials for engaging and thanking employees, case studies to inspire you, examples of holidays to celebrate each month, and research statistics to help you make the business case for appreciation.
Download yours FREE today!

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