While St. Patrick’s Day may not be the most popular holiday on the calendar, it’s certainly got its share of fans and supporters and let’s face it, it’s just a fun holiday in general, so why not celebrate it?
The good news is that if you’re considering having a St. Patrick’s Day celebration at the office, it’s not something that needs to break the bank. Here are a few simple ideas that will enable you to have a fun and fabulous celebration at the office.
Employee Engagement
Honestly, if your empmloyees aren’t excited about the idea of a St. Paddy’s Day celebration, then there’s not much point in doing it, so your first stop should be to check in with your employees and see if there’s any interest in doing something fun in honor of the day.
Assuming there is, set a budget and form an employee-driven committee to come up with ideas. Feel free to seed the committee with your own thoughts, which may include things like:
Decorations
Naturally, if you’re going to celebrate the Luck of the Irish, you’ll want to deck the halls of your office with green and probably some Leprechaun fun. Set a bit of budget money aside for some decorations to liven the office up a bit and turn your employees loose where the particulars are concerned.
A Pot Luck Lunch
If money is tight and you can’t spring for a catered lunch, you can always make it an employee driven potluck lunch where everyone b rings there favorite, and preferably Irish-themed dishes.
If you can afford to cater something, check out local bakeries that will undoubtedly be selling St. Patrick’s Day themed desserts, and local delis with Irish foods on offer.
A Playlist Is A Must
Surely someone at your office has a Google Play Music or Spotify Subscription, and if so, that’s really all you need to create a stellar Celtic-themed playlist to enjoy throughout the day.
In fact, give the wealth of Irish and Celtic music available, and a number of popular Irish bands producing music today, it’s entirely possible to develop 2-3 different playlists so you can swap them out throughout the day.
A Friendly Competition
Getting back to the food and dessert possibility, if your employees will be providing these, why not up the ante a bit and arrange a friendly competition where the employees themselves vote on the best Irish dish or dessert on offer, with prizes going to their top picks?
It’s a fun way to recognize your employees for their contributions in bringing the celebration together.
Finally, if you have an employee recognition program at your firm, the holiday celebration is a great opportunity to recognize your employees for their achievements outside of the festivities themselves.
Don’t let these take center stage or overshadow the St. Patrick’s Day celebration itself; consider them to be more of an enhancement to the day and if you do it, make sure it happens toward the end when everyone has had ample opportunity to enjoy the celebration itself.
If you take these simple tips to heart, you’ll be miles ahead in terms of ensuring a St. Patrick’s Day celebration your employees won’t soon forget!