Have A Scary-Good Halloween In The Workplace!

Remember the fun and excitement of Halloween when you were a kid? Halloween in the workplace can still be just as exciting for adults – they just might need a reminder it’s OK to have fun.

Help your team connect, enjoy each other and remember why they love working for you with some Halloween fun.  Have a costume party, a cubical decorating contest, host a trick or treat event for a local food pantry or delight colleagues with a surprise gift of thanks such as gThankYou! Candy Gift Certificates. Know what would work in your workplace, challenge people’s creativity and unleash the joy of the holiday in your workplace this year!

As human resources expert Susan Heathfield says in “Celebrate Halloween at Work,”

“Traditions are important in companies just as they are in families. And Halloween is one of the best holiday traditions to establish and to celebrate at work.”

Halloween is now the second most popular U.S. holiday, she notes, so it’s one your employees are likely fond of. It’s all about fun and has plenty of fun, team-based activities to choose from!

Remember though, Heathfield cautions, that no employee feels pressured to participate in the festivities or any other activity not related to their job tasks.

The Planning

Involve as many people as possible! Choose a team from departments across the company to plan and launch your Halloween fun.  You’ll also get more fresh ideas and communicate the importance of working together.

Halloween In The Workplace Activities

A Costume Party. Encourage everyone to wear costumes for the day – that means management too! Have different departments to parade through the office so others can admire their ensembles. Award small prizes—such as a for categories such as scariest, funniest, most realistic, most imaginative, or most elaborate costume. If you have a distributed workforce, invite them to join the party via Skype and send them gThankYou! Candy Gift Certificates so they can celebrate too!

Themed Treats. Halloween treats are the best! For fun themed treat ideas, there’s nothing better than Pinterest and Martha Stewart to inspired your creative thinking. Don’t hog all the fun. Let departments decide what they would like to contribute and share.

Halloween Meals. If you choose breakfast, pumpkin flavored baked goods, along with healthy foods like fruit, make for a good start to the day. Don’t forget the hot apple cider! For lunch, you could order pizzas and bring in extra toppings to make scary faces on them for fun. For dessert, Halloween cupcakes are always a hit. Either way, let employees take a break, gather, and eat and talk together.

Pumpkin carving. Provide pumpkins and schedule a time for people to carve them (outside, if possible, to avoid a mess). This is a perfect opportunity for an activity based all-family event.

Trick or Treat. Who doesn’t love seeing kids in costumes? You might contact an organization that serves lower-income or special needs children and invite them to trick or treat in your workplace.  Or, take your trick or treating on the road and spread happiness and joy by visiting retirement communities.

Play Games. Adults like games too! Keep it traditional with apple bobbing, mummy wrapping contests, pumpkin throwing and eye-ball in a spoon races or geek it out with Halloween themed trivia contests. For a list of fun and creative ideas check out:  44 Free Halloween Party Games for Adults!

Decorate. Allow time in the morning for workers to decorate their cubicles, either individually or as a department, and award prizes for both. Consider surprising your workplace by decorating the night before! Go all out with a theme from a horror movie or something less chilling like the Addams Family.

For decoration inspiration try:

• Pinterest Halloween Cubicle Decorations
• Party 411 : “Office Halloween Theme and Decoration Ideas”.

In “Halloween Activities for Your Office that Keep Employees Motivated,” Mandy Kilinskis observes that it can be hard for employees to stay motivated on Halloween when they’re thinking about that night’s party or taking their kids trick or treating. Adding some festivities can help them blow off a little steam while having fun with coworkers, so they can focus on work the rest of the day.

We hope you scare up some fun in your workplace this Halloween! Happy Haunting!

For more great tips and insights into building a vibrant culture of engagement and recognition, be sure to download our free e-book, “The Ultimate Guide to Employee Gift-Giving”.

About gThankYou, LLC
Turkey Gift Certificates and Turkey Or Ham Gift Certificates by gThankYou! are two of America’s favorite employee gifts and can be redeemed for any Brand (Turkey or Turkey Or Ham), at virtually any Grocery Store in the U.S.
gThankYou, LLC provides company leaders with a variety of easy, meaningful and affordable ways to recognize and reward employees, holiday time or anytime. gThankYou! Certificates of Gratitude and our free Enclosure Cards are personalizable including incorporating your company logo. And, nearly all orders ship same day.
gThankYou, LLC (www.gthankyou.com) is based in Madison, Wisconsin. Contact: Rick Kiley, Chief ThankYou! Officer, gThankYou, LLC at info@gthankyou.com or 888-970-6773.
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