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St. Patrick's Day Office Party
Want to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at the office, but aren’t sure where to start? Read on for tips and ideas for how to have a great St. Patrick’s Day office party.
What Is a St. Patrick's Day Office Party?
A St. Patrick’s Day office party is a mid-March celebration that encourages your employees to have fun and relax. It’s also a great opportunity to celebrate a unique culture with your employees.
Why Is Hosting a St. Patrick's Day Office Party Important?
Hosting a St. Patrick's Day office party is a great way to build comradery among your employees and boost engagement in a fun way.
- Build engagement. Employee engagement is critical to an organization’s success. The more engaged your workforce, the more productive they are, which in turn leads to greater profits for the company and a strong organizational culture.
- Team building. Employees with close friendships at work tend to feel less stressed and more positive toward their work environment. Company parties and team-building events help to foster these relationships.
- Company culture. Company parties can contribute to your overall culture because employees will feel appreciated and motivated. A positive culture is a major factor in helping your business become an employer of choice.
- It’s fun! Company parties can create a safe environment for employees to have fun to balance out the stress of work or their day-to-day lives.
St. Patrick's Day Office Party Ideas
A company party should be a time to relax and connect with your employees. There are several ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at work! Read on for some fun ideas.
Food
Provide meals or host a potluck. Depending on the time of day, workspace, or scheduling needs, this could be a fully catered meal (corned beef and cabbage, anyone?), snacks, sweet treats like a Shamrock Shake, bangers and mash for breakfast, or an Irish potluck where employees contribute their favorite Irish dishes. Make sure there is plenty to go around, and account for any dietary restrictions. If you serve alcohol, make sure there’s enough food to help keep people feeling balanced. If it’s a virtual party or you have a remote workforce, consider sending gift cards for a food delivery service such as DoorDash or GrubHub.
Go Off-site
If you want to go off-site for your company party, choose a local venue for your company’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Some local businesses, like museums or interactive exhibits, will act as venues for special events. You could also try out a local Irish pub or restaurant or take your employees out to learn how to do the Irish jig.
Theme It
Have a theme party! Have employees dress up in green and decorate their workspaces. You can decorate the office to fit the theme with lights, theme decorations, signs, balloons, etc. You could even make it a contest and give the most festive individual or workspace a prize.
Play a Prank
Leprechauns, which have their origins in Irish folklore and myths, are known for the mischief they cause. Now that they have become associated with St. Patrick’s Day, you could take a page from their book and perform a little trickery around your office! Tiny footprints leading to a secret prize, a mousepad gone missing with a clever riddle to find it, or maybe just some surprise treats for your employees are all fun ways to show your spirit. You can find other work-appropriate prank ideas online.
Tips for Hosting A St. Patrick's Day Office Party
Obviously, if you have a remote workforce, it's a little more challenging to truly engage and include everyone. Here are a few tips and ideas on how to deal with parties that aren't in person.
- Make it interactive. Regardless of where everyone is located, they should feel included and be able to participate. Think about including icebreakers or a teambuilding activity that can be done remotely. There are great ideas online for how to do this.
- Have a plan. Some remote party ideas require you to send items to your employees ahead of time, like bingo cards or small gifts. If you’re going to incorporate something like this, make sure to give yourself plenty of time.
- Have fun! A virtual party should leave employees feeling energized and positive. Don’t take it too seriously, and try to have a good time.
Once you've decided your goals for the party and how to structure it, spice it up with some of the ideas below.
Celebrate Diversity and Inclusion
Share some history about the origins of the holiday. St. Patrick’s Day was created to honor St. Patrick driving the “snakes” out of Ireland and has deep historical and religious roots. Today, it’s a celebration of Irish heritage and culture. Encourage employees to learn about the origins of the holiday and Irish culture, or share some folklore with your team.
Swag
Give out company swag! Employees love receiving company swag like branded mugs or cups, mouse pads, shirts, pens, etc.
Games
Play games! There are a lot of fun party games and icebreakers that can be found online. Some companies even host virtual game nights or other themed parties for a remote workforce. You should feel free to get creative here. You could play themed games like Irish trivia, have a photo “booth” with props and a backdrop, or other favorite party activities.
Music
Put together an inclusive playlist! Survey your employees to get their favorite songs to play during the party so that everyone can hear a couple songs they love. Find and download or create an Irish music playlist. If you have it in the budget, consider getting a DJ or having live music.
Appreciation
Give recognition. There is never a bad time to remind your employees how valuable they are and how important they are to the success of your organization. Whether it be a speech, one-on-one interaction, handwritten notes, an interactive sticky note board, or small group conversations, take every opportunity to recognize and affirm employees. They should leave the party feeling positive and re-energized for the work they do.
Topics
Colleen E. Frislid, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Colleen manages a team of HR consultants that work with a variety of industries, specializing in the fields of human resources, strategic planning, and human capital management. Colleen applies expert knowledge, industry experience, and relentless energy to solving companies’ issues. She is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management as well as women in leadership groups. She is PHR, SPHR, and SHRM-SCP certified. She has an awesome pet cat, Attila and, when she's not working she loves to travel, enjoy the great outdoors, and volunteer with different local charities.
Frequently asked questions
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Eddy’s HR Mavericks Encyclopedia
St. Patrick's Day Office Party
Want to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at the office, but aren’t sure where to start? Read on for tips and ideas for how to have a great St. Patrick’s Day office party.
What Is a St. Patrick's Day Office Party?
A St. Patrick’s Day office party is a mid-March celebration that encourages your employees to have fun and relax. It’s also a great opportunity to celebrate a unique culture with your employees.
Why Is Hosting a St. Patrick's Day Office Party Important?
Hosting a St. Patrick's Day office party is a great way to build comradery among your employees and boost engagement in a fun way.
- Build engagement. Employee engagement is critical to an organization’s success. The more engaged your workforce, the more productive they are, which in turn leads to greater profits for the company and a strong organizational culture.
- Team building. Employees with close friendships at work tend to feel less stressed and more positive toward their work environment. Company parties and team-building events help to foster these relationships.
- Company culture. Company parties can contribute to your overall culture because employees will feel appreciated and motivated. A positive culture is a major factor in helping your business become an employer of choice.
- It’s fun! Company parties can create a safe environment for employees to have fun to balance out the stress of work or their day-to-day lives.
St. Patrick's Day Office Party Ideas
A company party should be a time to relax and connect with your employees. There are several ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at work! Read on for some fun ideas.
Food
Provide meals or host a potluck. Depending on the time of day, workspace, or scheduling needs, this could be a fully catered meal (corned beef and cabbage, anyone?), snacks, sweet treats like a Shamrock Shake, bangers and mash for breakfast, or an Irish potluck where employees contribute their favorite Irish dishes. Make sure there is plenty to go around, and account for any dietary restrictions. If you serve alcohol, make sure there’s enough food to help keep people feeling balanced. If it’s a virtual party or you have a remote workforce, consider sending gift cards for a food delivery service such as DoorDash or GrubHub.
Go Off-site
If you want to go off-site for your company party, choose a local venue for your company’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Some local businesses, like museums or interactive exhibits, will act as venues for special events. You could also try out a local Irish pub or restaurant or take your employees out to learn how to do the Irish jig.
Theme It
Have a theme party! Have employees dress up in green and decorate their workspaces. You can decorate the office to fit the theme with lights, theme decorations, signs, balloons, etc. You could even make it a contest and give the most festive individual or workspace a prize.
Play a Prank
Leprechauns, which have their origins in Irish folklore and myths, are known for the mischief they cause. Now that they have become associated with St. Patrick’s Day, you could take a page from their book and perform a little trickery around your office! Tiny footprints leading to a secret prize, a mousepad gone missing with a clever riddle to find it, or maybe just some surprise treats for your employees are all fun ways to show your spirit. You can find other work-appropriate prank ideas online.
Tips for Hosting A St. Patrick's Day Office Party
Obviously, if you have a remote workforce, it's a little more challenging to truly engage and include everyone. Here are a few tips and ideas on how to deal with parties that aren't in person.
- Make it interactive. Regardless of where everyone is located, they should feel included and be able to participate. Think about including icebreakers or a teambuilding activity that can be done remotely. There are great ideas online for how to do this.
- Have a plan. Some remote party ideas require you to send items to your employees ahead of time, like bingo cards or small gifts. If you’re going to incorporate something like this, make sure to give yourself plenty of time.
- Have fun! A virtual party should leave employees feeling energized and positive. Don’t take it too seriously, and try to have a good time.
Once you've decided your goals for the party and how to structure it, spice it up with some of the ideas below.
Celebrate Diversity and Inclusion
Share some history about the origins of the holiday. St. Patrick’s Day was created to honor St. Patrick driving the “snakes” out of Ireland and has deep historical and religious roots. Today, it’s a celebration of Irish heritage and culture. Encourage employees to learn about the origins of the holiday and Irish culture, or share some folklore with your team.
Swag
Give out company swag! Employees love receiving company swag like branded mugs or cups, mouse pads, shirts, pens, etc.
Games
Play games! There are a lot of fun party games and icebreakers that can be found online. Some companies even host virtual game nights or other themed parties for a remote workforce. You should feel free to get creative here. You could play themed games like Irish trivia, have a photo “booth” with props and a backdrop, or other favorite party activities.
Music
Put together an inclusive playlist! Survey your employees to get their favorite songs to play during the party so that everyone can hear a couple songs they love. Find and download or create an Irish music playlist. If you have it in the budget, consider getting a DJ or having live music.
Appreciation
Give recognition. There is never a bad time to remind your employees how valuable they are and how important they are to the success of your organization. Whether it be a speech, one-on-one interaction, handwritten notes, an interactive sticky note board, or small group conversations, take every opportunity to recognize and affirm employees. They should leave the party feeling positive and re-energized for the work they do.
Topics
Colleen E. Frislid, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Colleen manages a team of HR consultants that work with a variety of industries, specializing in the fields of human resources, strategic planning, and human capital management. Colleen applies expert knowledge, industry experience, and relentless energy to solving companies’ issues. She is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management as well as women in leadership groups. She is PHR, SPHR, and SHRM-SCP certified. She has an awesome pet cat, Attila and, when she's not working she loves to travel, enjoy the great outdoors, and volunteer with different local charities.
Frequently asked questions
Other Related Terms
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