The cotton spider webs are out, the pumpkins are carved, and the kids have picked out their costumes, it must be time for Halloween!
Many Americans, over 65 %, will celebrate Halloween this Friday. Only second to Christmas in terms of holiday spending and parties, Halloween brings candy, spookiness, pumpkins, and creativity together into one day. Will you be one of the 120 million Americans (both children and adults) that dress up this Halloween?
Though many people choose to celebrate Halloween outside of the office, how do workplaces celebrate Halloween? Glassdoor.com conducted a survey to find out just how Halloween is celebrated at work.
Dressing up is overrated
Though many companies choose to have a costume contest on Halloween to infuse some fun into the workplace, most employees are actually unlikely to wear a costume to work. Glassdoor found that only about one in ten employees are likely to wear a costume to work, while 52% plan on participating or attending in their company's event, whether that is a party, activities, etc.
If an employee is a fan of dressing up, it's most likely they won't overdo it: Glassdoor found that 42% said that they'd wear a classic Halloween costume if they were dressing up for work.
Even if employees don't plan to dress up, they sure hope their boss will: 29% of employees hope their boss will dress up for Halloween! Having the boss dress up is a great way to entice others to get in the spirit as well!
Keep the scandalous or shocking costumes at home
You'd think that professionals would remember to be tasteful, but Halloween sometimes makes people forgetful of what's appropriate and what's not (just walk into any high school on October 31). Over half of employees feel that if someone wears an inappropriate costume, HR should ask that person to change to something more fitting. Communicating or reminding employees of the dress policy in the first place can save awkward encounters with inappropriate attire.
Candy is cool
Many companies choose to celebrate Halloween by a gathering of some type. Whether that means bringing in breakfast or lunch, or stopping work in the afternoon for a party, many employees say bring on the free candy (40%). Employees are also cool with decorations, costume contests, a party at the office, or inviting children to show off costumes. Things to avoid? The typical Halloween party fare of bobbing for apples, cookie decorating, and costume parades.
Halloween, as well as other holidays, are great times to build company culture and employee camaraderie. Bringing the team together for a meal or a party can be a fun way for your employees to get to know each other. Make it fun for everyone!
To read more about Glassdoor's findings on Halloween, check out their blog.
