After a year of working remotely, most businesses are delighted by the idea that they will finally be able to open and work in person again. As the COVID-19 vaccine becomes more and more readily available to Americans, we are finally able to get closer and closer to resuming everyday life. If you, as a boss, are currently planning on opening up your workplace doors again, consider throwing a covid-safe celebration. Your employees would greatly appreciate it and be even happier to start working again!
Be Safe
One of the biggest things to tackle when preparing to throw a back to work party is to figure out how you will practice safety and maintain COVID-19 CDC guidelines. Make sure everyone has masks, hand sanitizer, and the covid vaccine if possible.Consider having your party outdoors where you will be able to have everyone together in one space while still being socially distant. Spread desks and tables apart and try to limit the amount of employees that are up and moving at a certain time. Allow them to socialize while also remaining socially distant.If you are throwing your party indoors, consider splitting up your employees between rooms so you will easily be able to follow any protocols. Spread everyone 3-6ft apart and utilize Zoom or Google Meet for the satellite rooms for when you are speaking. Although it may be tricky, being safe will ultimately better the office and help reduce the spread of any sickness.
Cater Food
When hosting a back to work party, consider getting a catered lunch. Have a big pot-luck style meal, but have caterers serve the plates to help reduce the risk for cross-contamination. If you cannot do that, have individually packaged catering boxes from a local restaurant or food service. Get individually packaged drinks and snacks like chips, cookies, and fruit and vegetables. Get a few people to hand out each item to your employees to help reduce any contamination from any unknowingly sick individuals. Having catered food also helps you figure out what exactly your employees would like to eat. Have them fill out an order form and be sure to have plant-based and allergy friendly options available!
Give Out Prizes
What better way to kick off the reopening of your workplace is to give out prizes. Although it might sound childish, giving out some office essentials could actually really help your employees feel welcome. You can give out Bluetooth headsets, desk essentials, or even a laptop. Do a raffle, congratulate the winners, and then be done with it! If you’re looking to do something that seems a little more fair, however, consider getting something for everyone or getting something that everyone can use. Maybe you can buy something cheap like personalized mugs or coffee cups, or you could give everyone an Amazon gift card so that they can buy whatever they want for the office. By giving everyone something, you are ensuring that they will all be satisfied and ready to give it all at work!
Make a Great Venue
Having a cute venue is an absolute must when planning a back to work party. If you are having an outdoor party, consider getting a 10×10 pop up tent for the gifts and food. Decorate the tables, tents, and add balloons around to make it feel like more of a celebration. If you are planning an indoor party, however, you have a lot more freedom when it comes to decorating. Put streamers in every room and balloons off of every desk or chair. Put banners and decorations all over the walls. You could even rent fun lights or fog machines if you wanted to get fancy. Put in a lot of effort when it comes to decorating and you will no doubt have a great venue. Your employees will greatly appreciate the work that you do for them!
Overall, getting ready to go back to work is an exciting time after the year that the world has been through. Although it may seem silly, throwing a work party might be just what your employees need to get back into the groove of things and to be ready to work in an office again. Make sure that you are obeying any and all COVID-19 protocols and that you are respecting your employee’s wishes when it comes to working during these uncertain times. Get catered food for your employees to help reduce the spread of sickness. In addition to this, give out prizes to make your employees feel more welcome and excited. Work on having a great party venue and you will soon have very excited and appreciative employees!
Founder Dinis Guarda
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