With the holidays quickly approaching, party planning mode is in full swing for many companies. For office parties, things have a way of going sideways quickly if you don’t plan properly and anticipate some common challenges. Here are our tips for hosting great office parties while addressing some of the biggest issues that often come up:
1. If you’re struggling to decide what kind of party to have, consider sending out a survey to find out what kind of holiday celebration would be most meaningful to your team. Don’t leave this survey open-ended though because that makes it harder to productively make a decision and you’ll never please everyone. Instead, offer two or three options and let people vote.
2. Have at least one structured activity during the party. This helps keep things flowing and discourages the traditional “cliques” from forming because people who regularly work together tend to congregate together. If you plan an organized game or activity and then group people together from different departments or teams, you’ll encourage friendships among new individuals. This also serves as a great way to break the ice at the beginning of the party.
3. If you’ll have alcohol at your party, things can get messy. To reduce your liability, don’t make alcohol the focus of the event and avoid serving hard liquor—instead offer a select beer and wine list. You can also hire a professional (and insured) bartender so employees don’t have to serve alcohol to their coworkers. Consider limiting the number of drinks people can have by using drink tickets. However, you’ll still want to have a plan for transportation home that includes designated drivers, cabs, or Ubers. And you’ll need a designated person who will be evaluating people when they leave the party to determine if an Uber is necessary. And last but not least, if someone is hosting the party offsite, check your company’s insurance to ensure that the host is also covered under your insurance policy.
4. Talk about the dress code for the party ahead of time with employees. Whether your party will be casual, themed, or more formal it’s wise to spell out what is appropriate—and be candid about it. Specifically, you can offer examples of outfits and/or costumes that are (and are not) appropriate. We’ve actually given PowerPoint presentations about office party and costume attire on numerous occasions. This is where you notice just how much interpretation there is in the word “appropriate.” You may receive awkward questions, but this creates a great opportunity for dialogue, openness, and education.
5. Get your leadership team on board with setting an example for balancing fun and professionalism. This could mean agreeing ahead of time not to drink, or to only have one drink each—but it’s also important to help everyone feel welcome and included in the fun. If you know some people who are introverted or more socially awkward, then your leadership team should be prepared to help put those people at ease. It’s also a great idea to have at least one member of your leadership team present for the entire duration of the event to ensure things end well and that every employee gets home safely.
Happy Holidays! And don’t forget, you can also chat with us via the online chat tool in the lower-left corner of your screen. We love helping companies align their people with their business needs, and we love to share what we know.
