Celebrate Milestone Birthdays at Work
Template:StubLordy, lordy, look who's 40?! Or how about the Nifty Fifty? One of your co-workers is having a birthday, and not regular one. A milestone one. Time for an office party to celebrate.
Steps
- Check on your office policies about parties. Are you allowed to celebrate during work hours and on site, or will you have to arrange something outside of work? Make sure your employer is on board with your plans before you get other people involved.
- Privately message all your co-workers (except for the birthday boy/girl). Tell them you are planning an office surprise party for the birthday celebrator.
- Plan when it will be. You may want to have it on the actual birthday, but if the birthday is a weekend or holiday, plan for the next closest day.
- Divide up tasks. Decide who is going to get what for the party. Make a sign-up sheet to avoid overlap.
- You'll want food, drinks, decoration, and perhaps gifts or a group gift. You'll also need helpers on the day, to set up the festivities.
- Decide how to pay for it. Find out if your employer has a budget for any celebrations like this one. If not, you may need to ask your coworkers to chip in to cover the costs. Try to keep the totals reasonable so that it's not too much to ask of each person.
- Keep it a surprise, if desired. On the day of the party, have one co-worker keep the birthday boy/girl occupied, while you and the rest of the staff get the party ready.
- Get your supervisor to call in the birthday boy/girl to the party. Surprise them with the big crowd and perhaps a round of "Happy Birthday!"
- Have fun! If it's during a workday, plan to keep the celebrations short but sweet.
Warnings
- Beware of any food allergies.
- Be cautious about serving alcoholic beverages, especially if people will need to drive home afterwards. Make sure to comply with your workplace policies about alcohol on site, too.
