Teams that play together are more likely to stay together, so consider creating a workplace events calendar that includes a lot of cool and unique workplace celebration ideas! Think beyond the standard holidays to identify a number of different days to celebrate in the office. After all, finding ways to have fun at work can help improve employee satisfaction, motivation and retention - all key indicators that can have a powerful impact on overall productivity and profitability.
National Fun at Work Day
Beat the winter doldrums by celebrating National Fun at Work Day in your place of business. Celebrated annually on the fourth Friday of January, this is the perfect time for a company-wide activity or individual team-building activities.
- Host a fun off-site employee activity during the workday, such as an employee outing to an afternoon movie or entertainment center (think indoor water park, miniature golf, Dave & Buster's, etc.)
- If you'd rather stay on site, consider bringing in a fun catered lunch (like a taco bar or barbecue buffet) or afternoon snack (ice cream sundaes, doughnuts, cupcakes, etc.)
- Pair the fun meal or snack with an afternoon of gaming where workers can team up to play things like Pictionary, Trivial Pursuit, or board games of their choice. Be sure to offer some coveted prizes and awards!
- Ask employees to make suggestions of activities for this celebration, and then let staff members vote on which ones they'd prefer.
International Picnic Day
What's more fun than a workplace picnic? June 18 is recognized as international picnic day, so it's the perfect time to help usher in the summer season by hosting an employee picnic.
- Host a workplace picnic at lunchtime or just after work. Either enlist some team members to do the cooking or hire a caterer to bring in a picnic spread (to enjoy indoors or out).
- When the date falls on a weekend, consider moving the festivities to a local park and inviting employees and their family members, including any kiddos.
- While the company should provide the bulk of the food, it could be fun to encourage employees to bring their favorite picnic dishes for a bit of friendly competition (complete with prizes for several categories).
- Consider hosting a picnic basket decorating contest that individuals or teams of employees can enter for chances to win prizes.
Administrative Professionals Week
Administrative Professionals Week is celebrated the last week of April, with the Wednesday of that week designated as Administrative Professionals Day. This is a special time to let those in support roles know how very important their contributions are to the organization.
- Invite the administrative professionals to be guests at an office potluck, with all of the food provided by members of the management/leadership team.
- Host a field trip for the administrative professionals such as buying tickets for them to go as a group to a local attraction (amusement park, museum, etc.) or event (exhibit, game, etc.) during work hours.
- Send each administrative professional a gift basket with a variety of items customized to his or her interests.
- Allow the admin professionals to choose from relaxation activities of their choice (paid for the by company), such as a spa day or event tickets (concert, theater, sporting event, etc.).
Customer Service Week
The first full week of October is designated as Customer Service Week. This is a great time to really shine a spotlight on customer service in your organization.
- Host a celebration luncheon, breakfast, or after-hours event for customer service department employees.
- Bring in a motivational speaker to address the topic of customer service at an all-employee meeting.
- Host a customer service awards banquet to recognize team members with outstanding achievement in customer service.
- Highlight positive feedback from customers on the intranet or in the employee newsletter.
Create a Workplace Events Activities Calendar
These are just a few of the many options to consider when you're looking to add a bit of joy to your workplace via motivational activities. If you're focused on boosting morale and improving workplace culture, go ahead and select a variety of fun holidays to celebrate at work. Publish a workplace events calendar featuring theme days to celebrate in the office along with workplace holiday activities and ideas so that team members can see what's coming up and decide how they might want to join in.
