Corporate Halloween Party Ideas

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Today, many companies are adopting a more relaxed policy towards celebrating Halloween.  Allowing employees to dress up for the holiday is number one for corporate Halloween party ideas.

Ground rules are important.  Costumes should not be restrictive or interfere with the employees’ normal duties.   Of course, anything sexual or revealing would not be allowed.  Otherwise, a few witches, ghosts, and ghouls may actually create a great atmosphere.

Second on the list for your corporate Halloween party would be a few snacks which the employees would enjoy supplying.  Black and Orange cupcakes, ghostly cookies and spider webs (see recipe below) would be welcome treats.

Third would be the great parade.  Decide on a few judges beforehand.  Taking a half hour to parade around the office will help to loosen up the atmosphere.  The prize for the best costume could be something like a $5 gift card for coffee.

You may ask, why go through all the trouble.  Well, consider this – a relaxed employee is a happy employee.  Happy employees are certainly more productive.  By relaxing the corporate atmosphere, you will create a better work environment.

Happy Halloween!

 

Spider Webs

1 8oz pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 can crispy Chinese noodles

1 can peanuts

Directions:

Melt chips in a double boiler.  Add noodles and ½ can of peanuts.  Mix well.  Drop by tablespoon on waxed paper.  Refrigerate one hour.

National Boss Day Appropriate Gestures of Appreciation

 

The other day my co-workers and I were discussing National Boss’s Day. With this being the first year that our Manager is here.  Appropriate Gestures of Appreciation were being tossed about the conference room since our boss was on vacation.  This was our opportunity to get the ball rolling. Just what are we going to do this year to show our boss how we feel about her and her leadership?  A few belly laughs later along with some silly suggestions a good idea emerged.  She has commented that through laughter we can usually find solutions.  We came up with the idea that on October 16, 2015 a Thursday we would have a beautiful bouquet of flowers on her desk when she arrives.  Along with that there will be her favorite cup of Starbucks coffee the Café Misto and a large box of mini Cinnabons a favorite pastry she absolutely adores. But OH the calories!!!  She is funny that way, eating them on a special occasion is totally acceptable.  We all feel the same and will enjoy them along with her!  She will enjoy her Café Misto and cinnamon bun all the while enjoying the beautiful flowers all through day and again on Friday.  She can then take them home and enjoy them over the weekend and be reminded of how much we appreciate her and the comradery she encourages amongst all of us here in the office.  Although her sense of humor is really what we appreciate the most.

Decorating Your Office For Halloween

Halloween is my favorite fun holiday.  Children and adults alike excitedly looked forward to this day from many years past and I am sure for many years to follow.  It is important that we bring the spirit of holidays into the office, since we spend most of our day at work.  When we decorate our cubicle and because everyone has their own creativity, the office is glowing with exciting themes.  DECORATING YOUR OFFICE FOR HALLOWEEN is fun and brings pleasure to all who participate.

In my office, we not only decorate but we can also dress-up in our favorite costume, if we choose.  We are actually out of character and changed into a new, and sometimes mysterious unrecognizable character.  It is so much fun that morning watching everyone come through the door.  It is not only a great day for the staff, but, also for the children.  Our wonderful company allows our children to visit our Halloween neighborhood.   Our cubicles are designed to each represent a stop along the way of Trick or Treat Alley.  The little princesses and goblins show off their Halloween styles and get a treat at each desk they stop at.  So, no matter what the weather, Halloween will be a big success in a very fun and safe environment and the employees and their families will not miss out on sharing the Halloween festivities.

10th Annual Create a Greeting Card Scholarship Contest – Round 3 Winners Announced!

Congratulations to our Third Round Winners!

Halloween Costume Etiquette In The Office

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Halloween is coming up soon and with it all the fun of the costumes we’ve been working so hard on!  However most of us will still be working in the office on the day of as well as the few days before.  Some of our workplaces allow us to wear our costumes for Halloween however you may not be sure if you should.  This is completely normal as the costumes are made for Halloween and not for the office.  Depending on your workplace it may be better not to or to change your outfit to make it suited for work.

Dress code policies differ between companies obviously so the best and easiest way to practice Halloween costume etiquette in the office is to ask human resources or the responsible persons if your costume is okay.  This will save you trouble later on if it is indeed not fit for the office.  Some workplaces are stricter about dress codes than others however so you’ll have a pretty good idea beforehand if you can or cannot wear a certain costume you have in mind.  If you ask and it ends up being okay however this doesn’t mean anything goes. (Unless they specifically said so, which congratulations on your awesome job!)  A Halloween costume you will wear in work should reflect the company’s image and maintain somewhat of a professional standard.  You should obviously be able to work in it, so huge metal Ironman suits are probably not okay. (Sorry guy from Comic Con).  If your costume doesn’t impede your or the company’s workflow and doesn’t violate any policies or reflect badly on the company then you are good to go.  Happy Halloween, can’t wait to see all the cool costumes this year.

Fun Activities to Celebrate Customer Service Week in the Office

  1. Raffles. Customer service week is fun when the whole company gets in on the fun. One idea is to place golden stars randomly around the whole office. Place them under people’s desks, in the lunch rooms, and even in the bathroom. Each gold star represents one raffle ticket towards great prizes. That whole week, stars will be continually placed around the office during different points of the day in order for everyone to collect some. On Friday or the last day of the workweek, the drawing is held.
  2. Educate. Customer service should not be treated lightly. For every day during customer service week, send out a company-wide e-mail with a tip on how to provide the best customer service possible. Another alternative to this idea is to provide a fun workshop individuals can attend to refresh them on the importance of customer service. Attract more signups by raffling off something at the workshop.
  3. Thank them. Show gratitude to your employees by saying thank you. One idea here is to round up the customer service team into a meeting. During the meeting, showcase messages from the company leaders and even some customers thanking the customer service representatives for their hard work and dedication to service. This is a nice pat on the back for all, especially after a busy but productive time on the phones.

Fall Company Outing Ideas

Kashmir in Autumn 5Fall is the last chance for any company wide outings to be planned before winter hits and the cold keeps people from wanting to go out at all.  Some Fall specific outings that should definitely be at the top of your list include pumpkin picking, baseball games, football games, etc.

Pumpkin picking is tons of fun as the season starts, with Halloween around the corner everyone’s already in the spirit for it so it doesn’t need much hype.  Recently it’s been getting more and more popular so more and more farms are opening up to the public for pumpkin picking.  A lot of them feature other attractions and fun events as well like hay rides, corn mazes, contests, etc.  If your staff is looking for some lighthearted seasonal fun pumpkin picking is perfect.

Volunteering is another great outing idea, as it builds bonds between workers and with the community, the company reputation benefits as well.  There are the usual soup kitchens and community centers you can check out, however in the spirit of the season there are actually different farms and orchards that use volunteers to run their pumpkin picking, farm markets, hay rides, etc.

For those with a passion for sports, it’s the perfect time, baseball, football, hockey, etc. all have games underway throughout Fall.  This takes care of a lot of the planning problems associated with other outings as the only issues if any are transportation and tickets.

Taking advantage of the last warm days before winter to take your company out for a fun and beneficial experience is a great idea.  Here’s hoping you all get the chance to do so and enjoy any of these activities.  Enjoy your Fall!

Send Your Business Holiday Cards As Soon As You Can

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The first time my employer sent out Holiday cards was 3 years ago. He was just starting out, the business had only been operating for about 4 months when I was hired. One day in early November we received an envelope which came to us from someone the owner had come into business contact with recently. It was a holiday card. Once he looked at it he got very excited and said “We’ve got to do this too!”

I called the company we got the card from and was given many options. Personalizing the card was more intense than I imagined. I never knew there were so many different types of holiday cards or realized how much thought can go into sending a business holiday card. I ordered a catalog and some samples to be mailed to us. We received the mailing and he decided what he wanted.

In the meantime he also contacted that business associate who sent us the first holiday card. He asked him some questions about how this helped his business. He then explained why you should send your business holiday cards as soon as you can. He was in business over a dozen years and in his opinion you get more visual advertising time for your money the longer these unique, beautifully personalized cards are on display in your customer’s office.

With all the chaos at holiday time, he decided to do it as soon as possible. It was very interesting when we got our first holiday card and we displayed it in a very visible area. Being the first one to send the cards out can help to start an opening dialogue point with some of your newest clients.

10th Annual Create a Greeting Card Scholarship Contest – Round 2 Winners Announced!

Congratulations to our Second Round Winners!

Holiday Cards for the Millennials

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Millennials were raised, for the most part, fully immersed in technology. This is why people commonly assume they would be disinterested in holiday cards; people think, “they grew up in this fast-paced environment, where everything gets to them immediately. Texts, emails; everything they send or receive is delivered in mere seconds. So why would they want holiday cards, which are such a dedicated and long process of buying, signing, sending, and then waiting even more to receive?”

But that long process is exactly why millennials would cherish holiday cards.

Millennials might be used to the world of texting and emails, but these things are very impersonal and don’t require much effort. It takes extreme effort and shows a lot of care to go out of your way to buy someone a card, make it out to them with a special, personalized message, and then going through all the effort of sending it early enough for them to receive it on a timely basis. This isn’t something most of their peers will be doing, so if you send a millennial a holiday card, you can be sure they will appreciate it twice as much as everyone else, just because of how rare it is.

In case you would like some ideas, here are some Gallery Collection cards that might really appeal to the beloved millennial in your life:

1. Show off your own technological skills with one of our digitally printed cards which allow you to even customize the front of your cards – Ribbon Tree Christmas Card

2. Make them laugh with this sweet and silly holiday card, featuring special tips for Santa Claus – Tips for Santa Christmas Card

3. Millennials will definitely be able to relate with this funny card explaining exactly what happiness during the holidays really is – Holiday Happiness Card

4. This card is a bright and vibrant card that is sure to appeal to the millennials who prefer a more contemporary card – Bright City Lights Christmas Card

5. This is another humorous card that millennials will certainly be overjoyed to receive – Dear Santa Christmas Card