Office parties can build the unity of your team and improve employee satisfaction. During routine workdays, workers only interact on a business level, so they often only learn how to work together. In an informal, casual setting, however, coworkers get to know each other better and bond on a personal level.
You don’t need to look far to find an excuse to show an office party. Holiday parties, of course, make perfect sense, but you can also have a party to recognize birthdays, employee anniversaries, or the completion of a project. Below are some fun-themed office parties that will enhance team spirit within your organization.
A Taste of Italy
Schedule an evening get-together for your coworkers that features fantastic dining, fun entertainment and lots of stories and laughs over food and drinks. Use your imagination to add some Italian intrigue to the event. You can, for example, create invitations printed in Italian. Hang maps of Italy around the party area and use the colors of the Italian flag to decorate the tables and place settings.
Create a high-energy atmosphere with plenty of olives and flowers available for your employees to enjoy. Learn some greetings in the Italian language to give your party additional ambience. Offer your employees a buffet that includes several of the various daring regional tastes of Italy. To help avoid confusion, label all the food, so no one gets surprised with undesired tastes or allergic reactions. Lead activities such as Italian folk dancing or charades to give all your employees a chance to have fun and interact.
Office Movie Marathon
Movie nights can get your team together to share their favorite titles, snacks and games. Have a movie streaming service such as Netflix ready to go, and chose several titles from the vast selection of movies. Add to the fun by having participants dress up as their favorite movie stars and characters. Consider organizing your movie night by a particular theme or genre, so everyone can get into an appropriate state of mind as they prepare for the event.
After, or in between the movies, host games and activities for your team. Try movie trivia quizzes and charades based on the same theme as the movie night. For food, furnish a buffet with wings, pizzas, salads, hamburgers and hotdogs, so everyone can find something to enjoy. Don’t forget the popcorn and soda.
The Luau Party
Known by many as a Hawaiian festivity, the idea of a luau brings feelings of excitement and adventure. Although Hawaii has a warmer climate than many other areas of the world, you don’t have to limit your luau to the summer. In fact, you can use a luau theme to break through the seasonal malaise that often comes with winter by reminding everyone of the joys that await them during the spring and summer months.
Encourage your employees to dress appropriately for their luau, including the wearing of Hawaiian shirts, skirts and flip flops. As employees arrive for the festivities, pass out flower necklaces (lei’s) and speak some simple Hawaiian words such as “Aloha!” You can even assign everyone a Hawaiian name and distribute matching name tags. Decorate the office with tropical colors and provide a Hawaiian food buffet, entertainment and games.
Bringing Back The 80s
Parties with retro themes stir nostalgia in the hearts and minds of seasoned employees and spark the intrigue of the new. Dust off some of the 80’s hits and you can revel in the fashions, dances, and customs of yesteryear. The neon colors, miniskirts and mullets will draw laughter and recollections that will serve as the foundation of many stories and conversations. As you encourage your coworkers to get into the character of the 80’s, don’t forget to decorate the office in colors from the same decade. Also, have your staff members bring 80’s photos of themselves to stir fond memories and spark conversations.
After serving finger food, your team can engage in fun activities such as exchanging memories from the 80s, fashion contests, guessing names from old photos and robot dancing to make the party memorable.
A Friday Night Whodunnit
Increase the thrill of your party by scheduling an old-fashioned “whodunit” evening. Create a murder mystery where everyone plays a role. Assign new identities to your co-workers in advance, so that they can dress in character to make the evening fun. Plant clues around the office and have participants work in teams to solve the mystery. Have a special prize on hand to award the employees who first identify the murderer.
Give your murder-mystery night a different twist by assigning someone as the detective and sending that person out of the room. Next, have someone volunteer to be the murderer who has a good chance at fooling the detective. After allowing the detective back into the room, start the event. The killer can wink at people to “kill” them as the detective pursues the case. The detective’s goal is to identify the murderer before everyone in the group is dead.
Armed with the above fun-themed office parties, schedule an event now for your office. Let everyone contribute ideas and feedback for the event, so you can involve as many people as possible. By giving your coworkers a chance to interact on a personal level, you will increase the bonds among them and have employees who are happier and more engaged than you ever thought was possible.
About the author: Jill Phillips is a freelance writer from Buffalo, NY. She is an aspiring entrepreneur and tech enthusiast, who loves to share her insight on various topics. When she is not writing, Jill enjoys taking photos and hiking with her dog.
