Eddy’s HR Mavericks Encyclopedia
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Company Independence Day Celebration
It’s almost Independence Day, and your organization could use a little boost, so it’s time to plan a celebration. Now comes the hard part: coming up with creative ideas and implementing them company-wide. Read on to see how to throw a great company Independence Day celebration.
What Is a Company Independence Day Celebration?
A company Independence Day celebration is a time for you to boost morale, show appreciation to your employees, and celebrate our glorious nation all in one. Typically your employees will be celebrating Independence Day after work or on a weekend with friends and family. Why not encourage that same celebration, within reason, at work too? You spend a good portion of your life at work, so as an organization, focus on making these celebrations something to be talked about between colleagues for months to come to keep that excitement alive.
Why Is an Independence Day Company Celebration Important?
Throwing a company Independence Day celebration is important for a number of reasons. Let’s review some of them.
- Attitude. Any excuse to celebrate encourages a positive attitude for your employees. A positive attitude leads to more productive work, and that’s something both your organization and your employees can resonate with.
- Appreciation. It is easy for employees to feel devalued or unappreciated in their day-to-day work lives. A celebration is a great opportunity for your organization to foster more appreciation for your employees and show them their worth all while having some fun in the process.
- Retention. These events keep employees excited to come to work. They have something to look forward to along with feeling appreciated for what they are contributing. An Independence Day celebration is a great way to keep employees talking about what a great organization they work for, which in turn instills the desire to remain working for your organization.
- Patriotism. In today’s world, division is everywhere you look, but taking the time to center around our country and celebrate our independence can bring people together. Doing this at work will only build a stronger bond between employees and encourage that for the future.
Fun Company Independence Day Celebration Ideas
Now that we know why it’s important to have a celebration for Independence Day, let’s get to the good part: the ideas. Here are a few ideas to get your company celebration started right.
Outfit Competition
Any time you throw in “competition,” people start to pay attention, so why not make it Independence Day-themed? Set rules to stay within your organization's requirements of professionalism, but allow your employees to let loose a little and support their country with their best red, white, and blue attire. Select some judges from each area in your organization, and let the competition begin. If your company is on the smaller side, everyone will enjoy seeing all the festive outfits. If your organization is spread out geographically, feel free to send emails throughout the day of the most festive outfits. This is a great way to see the personalities of your employees and start the celebration off right.
Patriotic Trivia
This may take some preparation on your part, but trivia is always a good way to spice up your celebration. For Independence Day, try to include some historical trivia about our country and what makes this day so special, and even some patriotic movie trivia in there. You’ll quickly start dialogues between colleagues that may not have been there before, and the energy will be electric. Trivia can be via email for a large organization, or even in decorated paper form if you have the ability to do so. The world is your oyster for patriotic trivia. Just make it fun!
Decorations and Crafts
Do not go easy on the decorations. Be sure to put some red, white, and blue balloons at the entrances of your locations and some flags to commemorate the day. You could set up some time for employees on lunch break to create their own American flag and submit their entries for a chance to win a prize. That would surely get everyone involved.
Festive Food
Any time you offer food in the office, you’re boosting morale and encouraging employees to bond. Employees could even sign up for the food they want to bring, as long as it’s festive. For larger organizations, this may mean catering vs a potluck, but you can still have some red fruit punch for drinks with some lemon-lime soda and blue raspberry lemonade; make it patriotic any way you can.
Team-building Activities
Encouraging employees to work together on a project is always a good idea. Encourage an Independence Day scavenger hunt around the building to get your employees outside and enjoy the celebration a bit more. Encourage them to decorate their doors together or come up with their very own Independence Day song using the word “America'' five times. Have fun with it, but don’t skip the team building. You’re giving yourself a great opportunity here to utilize this event to carry you to the next one, so go big.
Remote Work Parties
Today there are many employees who don't work in the office, so some of these Independence Day celebrations will have to be applicable for the remote workforce. Besides the food, all of the fun activities above could be applied to remote workers. Simply send a gift card to your employees for lunch or dessert to ensure they receive the same celebration as those in the office. Trivia, outfit competitions, team building, and even crafts can all be prepared in order to include your remote teams.
Tips for Hosting a Company Independence Day Celebration
You’re off to the races now. With all the fun ideas going through your head, it’s bound to be a great office celebration. Here are a few final tips to ensure your party goes off without any issues.
Tip 1: Safety
Ensure you do not ignore the safety, health, and comfort of your employees while planning this celebration. Keep all trivia questions appropriate, make sure the team-building exercises don’t allow for injury and check food allergies prior to potluck or catering. One way to ruin a great celebration is to not take all aspects of safety into account for your employees.
Tip 2: Enjoy the Outdoors
Independence Day provides great weather for most of us, so enjoy it. Vitamin D can do wonders for attitude, so be sure to enlist this free assistance when planning your celebration. You could even provide your employees with some festive SPF as an Independence Day gift, coupling safety and fun all in one.
Tip 3: Allow People to Not Attend
You have put so much time and energy into this celebration that watching employees take little interest or flat out refuse to attend may be hard, but allow it. Do not require or force your employees to participate in any celebration. Doing so will only cause resentment from that employee and could ruin parts of the celebration for other employees. Allow those who want to participate to enjoy the day to the fullest, and let the others enjoy their work. Morale will still rise, and those who did not participate in the day’s activities will still benefit from that aspect.
Topics
Shalie Reich
Shalie has over 4 years of experience working in a variety of HR positions and organizations including: working as an HR department "of one", working with a start-up based in Europe, to working in a fully established robust USA based HR department. Shalie has experience in multiple states and countries with all aspects of the HR spectrum. She has a passion to share her knowledge and experience to benefit the HR profession!
Frequently asked questions
Other Related Terms
Eddy’s HR Mavericks Encyclopedia
Company Independence Day Celebration
It’s almost Independence Day, and your organization could use a little boost, so it’s time to plan a celebration. Now comes the hard part: coming up with creative ideas and implementing them company-wide. Read on to see how to throw a great company Independence Day celebration.
What Is a Company Independence Day Celebration?
A company Independence Day celebration is a time for you to boost morale, show appreciation to your employees, and celebrate our glorious nation all in one. Typically your employees will be celebrating Independence Day after work or on a weekend with friends and family. Why not encourage that same celebration, within reason, at work too? You spend a good portion of your life at work, so as an organization, focus on making these celebrations something to be talked about between colleagues for months to come to keep that excitement alive.
Why Is an Independence Day Company Celebration Important?
Throwing a company Independence Day celebration is important for a number of reasons. Let’s review some of them.
- Attitude. Any excuse to celebrate encourages a positive attitude for your employees. A positive attitude leads to more productive work, and that’s something both your organization and your employees can resonate with.
- Appreciation. It is easy for employees to feel devalued or unappreciated in their day-to-day work lives. A celebration is a great opportunity for your organization to foster more appreciation for your employees and show them their worth all while having some fun in the process.
- Retention. These events keep employees excited to come to work. They have something to look forward to along with feeling appreciated for what they are contributing. An Independence Day celebration is a great way to keep employees talking about what a great organization they work for, which in turn instills the desire to remain working for your organization.
- Patriotism. In today’s world, division is everywhere you look, but taking the time to center around our country and celebrate our independence can bring people together. Doing this at work will only build a stronger bond between employees and encourage that for the future.
Fun Company Independence Day Celebration Ideas
Now that we know why it’s important to have a celebration for Independence Day, let’s get to the good part: the ideas. Here are a few ideas to get your company celebration started right.
Outfit Competition
Any time you throw in “competition,” people start to pay attention, so why not make it Independence Day-themed? Set rules to stay within your organization's requirements of professionalism, but allow your employees to let loose a little and support their country with their best red, white, and blue attire. Select some judges from each area in your organization, and let the competition begin. If your company is on the smaller side, everyone will enjoy seeing all the festive outfits. If your organization is spread out geographically, feel free to send emails throughout the day of the most festive outfits. This is a great way to see the personalities of your employees and start the celebration off right.
Patriotic Trivia
This may take some preparation on your part, but trivia is always a good way to spice up your celebration. For Independence Day, try to include some historical trivia about our country and what makes this day so special, and even some patriotic movie trivia in there. You’ll quickly start dialogues between colleagues that may not have been there before, and the energy will be electric. Trivia can be via email for a large organization, or even in decorated paper form if you have the ability to do so. The world is your oyster for patriotic trivia. Just make it fun!
Decorations and Crafts
Do not go easy on the decorations. Be sure to put some red, white, and blue balloons at the entrances of your locations and some flags to commemorate the day. You could set up some time for employees on lunch break to create their own American flag and submit their entries for a chance to win a prize. That would surely get everyone involved.
Festive Food
Any time you offer food in the office, you’re boosting morale and encouraging employees to bond. Employees could even sign up for the food they want to bring, as long as it’s festive. For larger organizations, this may mean catering vs a potluck, but you can still have some red fruit punch for drinks with some lemon-lime soda and blue raspberry lemonade; make it patriotic any way you can.
Team-building Activities
Encouraging employees to work together on a project is always a good idea. Encourage an Independence Day scavenger hunt around the building to get your employees outside and enjoy the celebration a bit more. Encourage them to decorate their doors together or come up with their very own Independence Day song using the word “America'' five times. Have fun with it, but don’t skip the team building. You’re giving yourself a great opportunity here to utilize this event to carry you to the next one, so go big.
Remote Work Parties
Today there are many employees who don't work in the office, so some of these Independence Day celebrations will have to be applicable for the remote workforce. Besides the food, all of the fun activities above could be applied to remote workers. Simply send a gift card to your employees for lunch or dessert to ensure they receive the same celebration as those in the office. Trivia, outfit competitions, team building, and even crafts can all be prepared in order to include your remote teams.
Tips for Hosting a Company Independence Day Celebration
You’re off to the races now. With all the fun ideas going through your head, it’s bound to be a great office celebration. Here are a few final tips to ensure your party goes off without any issues.
Tip 1: Safety
Ensure you do not ignore the safety, health, and comfort of your employees while planning this celebration. Keep all trivia questions appropriate, make sure the team-building exercises don’t allow for injury and check food allergies prior to potluck or catering. One way to ruin a great celebration is to not take all aspects of safety into account for your employees.
Tip 2: Enjoy the Outdoors
Independence Day provides great weather for most of us, so enjoy it. Vitamin D can do wonders for attitude, so be sure to enlist this free assistance when planning your celebration. You could even provide your employees with some festive SPF as an Independence Day gift, coupling safety and fun all in one.
Tip 3: Allow People to Not Attend
You have put so much time and energy into this celebration that watching employees take little interest or flat out refuse to attend may be hard, but allow it. Do not require or force your employees to participate in any celebration. Doing so will only cause resentment from that employee and could ruin parts of the celebration for other employees. Allow those who want to participate to enjoy the day to the fullest, and let the others enjoy their work. Morale will still rise, and those who did not participate in the day’s activities will still benefit from that aspect.
Topics
Shalie Reich
Shalie has over 4 years of experience working in a variety of HR positions and organizations including: working as an HR department "of one", working with a start-up based in Europe, to working in a fully established robust USA based HR department. Shalie has experience in multiple states and countries with all aspects of the HR spectrum. She has a passion to share her knowledge and experience to benefit the HR profession!
Frequently asked questions
Other Related Terms
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