What is an office party?

An office party is a social gathering of workers either in or out of the office with the aim of having fun. Office parties are a way for workers to spend time together outside of regular working hours and have a lot of benefits to employee morale. By throwing regular office parties, employees can get to know each other which is a great way to add to a positive work environment. Bosses and employees socialize during the office party which creates more comradery between management and employees.

Benefits of holding an office party

Office parties might seem expensive and unnecessary, but they bring a lot of positives to how a company works. Some benefits are:

• Strengthens team bonds: Having an office party can allow employees to get to know each other on a more personal level which creates deeper connection.
• Increases employee morale: It is pretty clear that a happy worker is a productive worker. By having times where workers can socialize with each other can help lift the spirits of workers which in turn increases productivity.
• Provides networking opportunities: By getting workers to socialize at an office party, you allow them to create bonds with the entire team rather than just the few people they interact with the most. This means better collaborations and more teamwork between departments.
• Employees feel appreciated: When workers feel appreciated, they’re more likely to stay with a company for the long term. Throwing an office party can be a great way of showing you care.

Related Article: How to Motivate Your Employees

Tips for a fantastic office party

Throwing an office party doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Keep in mind these tips to make sure your office party’s a success:

• Plan ahead: Make sure to plan everything from budget to decorations so that there are no questions about what’s going on once the party starts. Also, if you allow your staff to volunteer to help plan the party, they’ll be invested in making it fun for everyone.
• Know your budget: Make sure that you have decided in advance exactly what you’re able to spend on the office party as this will make the planning easier. Also, make sure that if you throw more than one office party a year, that each occasion has a similar budget.
• Encourage everyone to attend: One of the main points of an office party is to allow different departments to get to know each other. If everyone is involved the more successful the party will be.
• Have prizes or engage staff in a competition: By having prizes or having staff compete with each other, it is more likely workers will want to attend. Everybody loves to win prizes, so use them to entice people to show up.
• Avoid talking about work: Try to make sure that conversations stay away from work. Encourage people to get to know each other and to take a real break from work.
• Know HR policies: Make sure that nothing that would be inappropriate for the office happens at the office party. You want people to have fun, but also respect the fact that this is still associated with the company and company rules.

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10 Ideas for office parties

There are many staff party ideas and here are ten of the best:

1. Pub quiz night

Having a night where workers can gather at a pub and have a little friendly competition is a great way to celebrate. Depending on budget, you can easily do this as an actual office party where the company pays for everything, or simply a regular Friday night get together. Encourage people from different teams to work together to promote camaraderie between departments.

2. Game night

Depending on the size of your office space, this could easily be held at the office, which makes it a cheap staff party idea. Ask around the office to see if people have board games that they can bring in and buy some munchies and pop, and voila- you have a game night!

3. Axe throwing

This is a great staff party idea as it gets people out of the office and allows them to blow off steam. This type of party has become more popular in recent years and if you organize it with the company itself, you can make sure everyone has fun and is safe.

4. DIY photo booth

This is another office party idea that you could do in the office itself. Basically, you need a fun background, some props and someone who can play photographer. Or, if you happen to have a greenscreen and some techy employees, let people be creative as they want as they play around with the computers.

5. Scavenger hunt

This would be a great thing to do in the summer months. Think about a few landmarks near your office and break people into different teams. They then get a list of the landmarks they need to find and they can take selfies to prove they found the object. Remember to keep it local so that people can quickly find the objects and move on to the next.

6. Paint night

This staff party idea can be an easy way for people to get out of the office and have some fun. There are a lot of options in terms of places or if you have someone on staff who is very artistic, see if they could lead the group. Doing art is a great way to unwind and relax, which can benefit you and your staff.

7. Brewery tour

This type of office party might be a bit expensive, but would be worth it if you can manage the price. With all the craft breweries popping up, it could be fun to gather at one, learn a bit about making beer and usually the brewery would provide some food. This type of outing is guaranteed to be popular and everyone is sure to have a good time.

8. Potluck

If you want a cheap staff party idea, look no further. Encourage people to bring a meal into the office and have a time when all can gather to try the variety of food. If you are really organized, give people a category they should fill so that you do not get too many food repeats.

9. Unconventional Holiday party

If you look on google, you can find out that almost every day in the calendar year has some sort of celebration associated with it. Pick one and celebrate it at your next office party. Some examples are:

• January 27: National Chocolate Cake Day
• March 14: Pi Day
• Third Friday in May: National Bike to Work Day
• September 19: International Talk Like a Pirate Day
• November 12: National Happy Hour Day

10. Office awards night

Having a way to celebrate individual accomplishments and team efforts is another fun staff party idea. It allows people to be recognized for their hard work and socialize at the same time.

The all-important work holiday party

Regardless of what your office might decide to do the rest of the year, the work holiday party is a staple for almost all companies. Work holiday parties are a great way to celebrate the end of the year and acknowledge all the hard work that has been done. To make the holiday party special for all staff members, it is important to remember a few things:

• Not everyone celebrates the same holiday: Try to make the work holiday part as inclusive as possible. Not everyone in the office will be celebrating Christmas for example, so try to find ways to celebrate that everyone can enjoy.
• Book a venue early: If you plan to bring the party out of the workplace, remember to start planning well in advance. Places book up very quickly when it comes to the holiday season, so if you do not want to be scrambling to find a place, start planning as soon as you can.
• Allow partners to come: Employees are able to bond more if they are able to introduce your partner to work colleagues. The end of the year work holiday party should be a true celebration, so make it special and allow employees to really be themselves.
• It doesn’t have to be fancy to be fun: Find some work holiday party ideas that will not break the bank (hint- look below) but will still allow guests to have a great time.

Work holiday party ideas

When looking at work holiday party ideas, try to be creative so that they are not the same thing every single year. The following are some creative staff party ideas:

• Decade theme party: Get your staff to help you figure out which decade you want to celebrate and make that the theme of your party. For example, if you make the 70s the theme you could have disco balls as décor and people can be asked to dress like they’re from the 70s.
• Gift exchange party: Instead of having a fancy evening party, try doing a simple gift exchange. Make sure each person has to buy a gift for someone else and then have fun opening presents, eating cookies and drinking hot chocolate.
• DIY decorating party: Bring staff together to help decorate the office. This is a great way to celebrate a bit before the holidays actually start, which means one less thing to do during the busy season. Staff may appreciate having less obligations during the holiday season and it can be fun to make the office look festive.
• Karaoke: This can be done either in the office or at a bar, but the main point is to have fun singing and being silly. If you give staff enough notice, you could also turn this into a “Karaoke-off”, where staff compete for prizes.
• Tropical beach party: By the time the holidays come around, everyone is already dreaming of their beach vacation, so bring the beach to the office. Have a “Best Hawaiian Shirt” contest or have a dance instructor come teach you how to Hula dance.
• Volunteer at local homeless shelter: Approach a local shelter and see if your staff can come one night to serve one of the meals to the guests. Or raise money for a local charity. It can be a great way of bringing your staff together and give back.

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