Everyone has had one of those supremely awkward office birthday parties. You know what I’m talking about – your boss gets you chocolate-covered peanuts despite your peanut allergy, a particularly demanding coworker ends up choosing the catered lunch instead of you, and you receive a half-hearted rendition of “Happy Birthday” while everyone tries to fit in cake between stressful meetings. Let’s not have another birthday dud like that this year. Despite the slight annoyance of planning your birthday celebration yourself, you’ll be happy when everything turns out the way you want it. Here are my guidelines for planning an office birthday bash that will be more fun and interesting.
Themes
One way to liven up your office birthday celebration and get your coworkers more involved is to plan a party with a theme. Carnival, ugly sweater, 80s prom, country and western . . . in the end, the theme depends on your personal preference. Themed parties are always more fun when everyone commits and gets involved, so create an atmosphere where it’s easy for your colleagues to take part. Decorate the office with your chosen theme several days ahead of the party, so your coworkers are less likely to forget to dress up on the day of the party. Also, you could provide some cheap costume accessories on the day of the party – such as silly mustaches for a country/western theme and scrunchies for 80s prom theme – for any stragglers who forgot. Throw in themed games and food and you’ve got yourself a birthday shindig that is a cut above your average office party.
Food
First, you should ask around a few weeks before the party and find out any coworker diet restrictions or food allergies so you can plan the party food accordingly. Go with a restaurant or caterer that you’ve already tried, either as an office or outside the office with family and friends. Make sure you order a wide range of food choices to please any persnickety eaters among your coworkers, and include plenty of vegetarian options as well. To encourage your colleagues to participate more in the party, you could have a potluck-style meal where everyone brings their own dish. Just make sure to alert everyone of office food allergies when you send out the potluck invitation.
This brings us to the centerpiece of most birthday celebrations – the cake. What to do about the cake for your office birthday party? You could ask any amateur baker coworkers to make it for you and bring it in as their potluck dish. However, you’d be running the risk of your coworker forgetting to make the cake. You could also take the cake into your own hands and make it yourself, but why add the extra stress and hassle? One easy option is to use a mail-order bakery. Many of them have corporate gift programs, so you might even get to write off your office birthday party cake as a business expense!
No Work Talk
Last but most definitely not least, you should try your best to not talk about work during your office birthday bash. It’s true, work can sometimes be the only common ground you have with your coworkers, but it’s better to start with random small talk than to talk about your jobs. Talking about work will make everyone think about their to-do lists and upcoming assignments, which will stress them out and encourage them to return to their desks quicker than you want them to.
Lisa Craft writes about party planning & business tips. She enjoys writing & sharing ideas about how to improve your business, especially through improving client & employee relationships.
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