Summer is out, and fall is in! You know what that means, Halloween is just around the corner.
Halloween is an interesting day that brings back childlike memories for plenty of you and your family, not to mention for your employees, associates and co-workers. Will you use this coming holiday to not only bond with friends and family, but also those that you work with? Or will you choose to actively ignore it? Already planned out the work day activities? Wondering just what your choice says about you?
Research shows us that looking at your behavior patterns for handling holidays, which can include uncertainty and increased stress, can speak volumes to your personality in the workplace. If you haven’t yet dedicated the time to better understanding your workplace behavior patterns and those around you, now is the time to do so before the holidays are in full swing. Creating a thriving workplace culture isn’t just an idea for this final quarter of the year, it’s a must when it comes to building the effective and productive team you need for 2017.
What can you do right now? Choose an activity outside of work to get involved in. Doing activities outside of work is a great way to learn more about the people you spend 40 hours a week with, and what better opportunity is there than Halloween?
Here are 3 ways to celebrate this coming holiday:
1. Carve pumpkins together. This is a fun and creative activity to do outside of the work place. If you don’t know your co-workers very well this is a friendly way to get to know each other without the awkward silence. Maybe even after carving the pumpkins you could put on a contest, share it on your social media to connect with your community and the winner could get a prize!
2. If you and your co-workers have kids, trick or treating is another option for this Halloween. Take the kids through the neighborhood and grow as friends! And who is to say that trick or treating is just for kids? You can put on your costumes and go trick or treating yourselves!
3. If you all have separate plans on this Halloween, then bring the celebrations to your office. You can decorate your office space and even dress up. Have a costume contest, a candy swap, or a Halloween lunch…there are plenty of ways to be creative this Halloween!
While this is about getting to know who you work with inside and outside of the office it is also about breaking down barriers and creating a venue for meaningful communication. Find opportunities, even past this coming Halloween, to get to know your co-workers. It will make your work experience much more enjoyable and enable you to grow as a person!
