20 Engaging Office Event Ideas That Your Employees Will Love

If you lead a corporate lifestyle, you must be accustomed to the relentless stress of your daily work life. Stress builds up over time, and it brings with it decreased productivity, lack of focus, health conditions, etc.

This is why every corporation needs a day off to get together and have fun in a non-stressful work environment. And this is where office events come in.

Corporate events or office events are the perfect opportunities for everyone to break away from the doldrums of daily work life. Everyone is excited about these events as these are rare times when they can spend time with each other without worrying about work.

Similarly, one more thing that employees anticipate is a holiday when they get a day off from work. A holiday like Christmas, for example, is usually thought of by everyone as a day away from the office with family and friends.

But have you ever had a Christmas party with your employees in your office? Just providing day-offs isn't enough; you need to celebrate with your employees as well. Doing so will spark employee engagement, boost employee morale, and increase productivity.

So, you must throw the best work events for your employees and make use of the time to build relationships with them when it arises.

Here are 20 office event ideas (some for ordinary days, some for special occasions) to help you maintain a healthy and productive workforce -

1. Christmas Party

There’s no better way to foster team spirit than celebrate Christmas annually with your employees in the festive season. It can be the perfect opportunity to reward and recognize employees based on their performances throughout the year.

Encourage a family-friendly environment where employees can bring their kids or relatives to the party. Just make sure your Christmas party is loaded with gifts for everyone, and foods and drinks, lots of them.

2. Halloween Party

Halloween is a special occasion in itself because of the aspect of people dressing up in costumes. Celebrating Halloween in your office can be a fun and thrilling experience, as well as a great team-building activity.

You can conduct contests to decide who has the best costume, and everyone could do in-office “trick or treating.” Just don’t forget to inform all your employees beforehand to come wearing costumes. After all, it would be awkward if only a few employees came dressed up in costumes.

3. Monthly Potluck

You can have a potluck every month in your office with your employees just for the fun of it. It will build relationships within the workforce as well and pave the way for a better work environment.

Ask your employees to come to the office with their favorite appetizers and desserts and share them with each other. Potluck lunches are amazing ways to break away from the monotonous lunchtime routines.

Also Read - 27 Delicious And Healthy Lunches For Work To Satisfy Your Cravings

4. Field Day

Take your employees out on a pleasant day, preferably in Spring, on a field trip. A field day is a great way to give your employees a well-deserved break from the workplace.

You can make things competitive and get everyone excited by organizing games and activities. Or, you can just relax by dancing to some groovy music and enjoying delicious foods and drinks.

Also Read - Boosting Healthy Competition In The Workplace

5. Motivational Speaker in the office

You can really boost your employees’ morale and confidence by inviting a motivational speaker to give an inspirational speech. Motivational speakers can energize your workforce, inspiring them to do their jobs in a spirited manner.

Also, motivational speakers do not have to be related to your industry. A good speech from one about life stories and experiences is enough to re-energize your employees.

6. Cook And Serve

Instead of going out to a local restaurant to eat, why not hire a professional chef to teach your employees to make mouthwatering dishes?

It will be a learning experience for your employees, and also, everyone will have fun tasting the dishes they made. Encourage everyone to get in on the cooking.

Just remind everyone to practice cleanliness so that the aftermath is not a mess of food ingredients everywhere!

7. World Kindness Day

World Kindness Day is celebrated on November 13th. On this day, everyone shows their gratitude and kindness towards each other, either as individuals or organizations.

Celebrate this day by encouraging everyone to be kind to each other. They can give hand-made cards to each other or place notes of appreciation in different places for people to find them unexpectedly. Also, employees can go to the local orphanage and make little gestures of kindness for them.

8. Independence Day

As your office will remain closed on the Independence Day of your country, celebrate it with your employees on the day before.

Encourage everyone to come to the office dressed up in traditional outfits. They can share historical stories and sing patriotic songs. Also, employees can cook traditional food and have a feast in celebration.

9. Office Cook-Off

Get your employees competitive with a yearly cook-off where everyone competes for the title of "Best Dish." You can divide your employees into five teams and watch each team battle it out for the first prize. Team members can also battle among themselves for individual titles such as "Best Team Player."

An event like this will foster teamwork and team-building, and everyone will have a fun time sampling each other's dishes.

10. Lottery Day

Do you know what will get your employees to look forward to every year with enthusiasm and excitement? A plain and simple lottery day!

Make every year's prize a different one so that everyone is interested in participating. Provide lucrative prizes like free vacation trips, concert tickets, gym memberships, etc.

11. New Year’s Day

Celebrate the new year by throwing an event for your employees in a grand manner.

Get everyone together, set resolutions for the upcoming year, and recollect the best moments from the previous one. Arrange food and drinks for all your employees to enjoy.

If your office is closed on the 1st of January, celebrate on the next working day.

12. Valentine’s Day

You can celebrate Valentine's Day as a day of gratitude and appreciation in your workplace. Instead of the usual tradition, your employees can write one thing they love about working for your company.

You can also host fun games and activities for your employees to enjoy. Do not forget to use heart-shaped decorations and provide yummy and healthy snacks for everyone.

13. April Fool’s Day

Why not make use of the following April Fool's Day to build everlasting memories and relationships among your employees? When done in a friendly and harmless manner, pranking can do great to bond people together.

Encouraging your employees to find creative ways to prank each other will create a challenging and fun environment. Just make sure that your employees know that the management will not tolerate injuries or destruction to company property.

14. Earth Day

Show your employees that you care about the environment by celebrating the next Earth Day, which is celebrated on April 22nd. It is a great way to motivate and engage your employees while promoting a safer and cleaner environment.

Screen a documentary movie depicting the importance of environmental conservation. Make commitments to reduce the use of plastic in your office and promote using eco-friendly material.

Also, encourage each employee to plant a tree or two each.

15. World Food Day

World Food Day is celebrated every year on October 16th, in honor of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Every year it has a different theme, but mainly it is celebrated as an action against hunger.

You can celebrate it in your office by encouraging everyone to bring a dish they love and share it with each other. Also, you could donate some food to nearby orphanages or shelter homes.

16. Puzzle Day

With the advent of digital entertainment and social media, the popularity of puzzles and brain games is slowly diminishing. So, to keep the common puzzle alive, Puzzle Day is celebrated every year on January 29th, and it is the perfect opportunity to engage your brain.

Solve puzzles, play brain games like sudoku, and board games with your employees to celebrate it in your office. Reward the winners with prizes and gifts.

Here are some special mentions for people living in India -

17. Rongali Bihu Celebration

Rongali Bihu is a festival of the state of Assam which celebrates the onset of the Assamese New Year and the coming of Spring. It is the most popular festival in Assam and is celebrated with lots of dancing, singing, and feasting.

Get into the festive mood by celebrating Rongali Bihu in your office. Tell your employees to come to the office in traditional Assamese attire. Dance and sing along with the folk tunes and share delicious festive treats. You can also hold an egg fight and a friendly lottery among your employees.

18. Diwali Party

Every employee in India looks forward to Diwali, the festival of lights, as it brings with it bonuses and festivities. It is the perfect time for employers to promote positivity among their workforces, set new targets, and foster new friendships.

So, make use of the prosperous festival by throwing a Diwali party in your office. Exchange gifts with everyone and encourage your employees to take part in the decorations.

19. Holi Party

Holi, the festival of colors, is celebrated every year in India, which signifies good over evil.

By throwing a Holi party in your workplace, you can foster healthy relationships among your employees. You can conduct an art competition to encourage creativity and boost competitiveness.

Also, you can ask your employees to color a wall of your office aesthetically. Just remember to enforce cleanliness and discipline so that a mess is not made.

20. Republic Day

On the 26th of January, Indians grandly celebrate their Republic Day throughout the country in schools and colleges of all major cities.

You can also promote patriotism and team-building among your employees by celebrating the next Republic Day in your office.

Decorate the office with tricolor ribbons and balloons and also create a tricolor dress code for the event. Sing the national anthem with everyone, and then play fun games with everyone. Offer prizes for the winners and make sure everyone enjoys the event.

Throw amazing team-building events in your office using these corporate event ideas and foster a productive and satisfactory work environment.

Besides working as a content marketer at Vantage Circle, Shah Alif Ahmed is also an internationally certified nutrition specialist, competitive bodybuilder and a musician. For any queries reach out to editor@vantagecircle.com