How to Birthdays celebrated? If the birthday child brings a homemade or self-bought cake and after work everyone toasts with a glass of champagne? This is common practice in many offices. But after the fifth birthday no one can see cake or champagne anymore. Maybe you would like to do something different, but you lack the bright idea. For the sake of convenience, you go back to the old favorite. We have some Suggestions collected, which should bring a breath of fresh air into the routine. In addition, there are some points to consider when celebrating a birthday in the office, so that a joyous occasion does not turn into a faux pas..
➠ Contents: What to expect
Birthday party in the office: Why go to all the trouble??
For many employees the Birthday party in the office degenerate into an annoying duty. The birthday child is annoyed, because the colleagues expect that there is cake, drinks or other souvenirs. For the colleagues it is an annoying duty, because the birthday child expects a gift.
But you should not look at it this way. The birthday itself should already be a holiday that is celebrated with good humor and on which you surround yourself with people who do you good and who are close to your heart. This is true not only at home in your own four walls, but also at work, where a birthday party in the office is not just a nice change to the partly dreary everyday working life, but in addition brings further advantages.
Celebrating birthdays strengthens team cohesion. If the colleagues have thought of the birthday and thought of a small gesture, you feel quite automatically valued and belonging. The feel-good factor and satisfaction rise on the job.
It’s not all hard work, stress, to-do lists and deadlines that have to be met. Instead, true cohesion emerges, a We-feeling, that goes beyond the common work and welds together. You also know the pleasant side of your colleagues and everyone is more tolerant when a colleague forgets to refill the printer paper.
Can I escape a birthday party in the office?
Some people are true Birthday grinch. You don’t see any point in celebrating your aging and would prefer to do without anyone even bringing up the tiresome topic. You are the Grinch of the personal anniversary and with your manner you can take away everyone else’s pleasure in the birthday celebration.
In doing so, there are several ways to avoid a birthday party. Some try it quite directly and openly say that you don’t like a birthday party in the office and therefore hope that colleagues will forego gifts and everything else. An attempt that is rarely crowned with success. Where there is a birthday sourpuss, there is usually also the counterpart – a colleague who wants to celebrate every birthday party and will not let this chance be taken away from him or her.
Another popular strategy in the job is to own birthday simply to conceal and thus leave the colleagues in the dark. If nobody knows when the birthday is, it cannot be celebrated. This, too, is unlikely to work out in the long run, because at some point the conversation will come up or the boss, who knows your birthday anyway, will spill the beans.
The best way, therefore, is still to simply let your own birthday come to you, to let yourself to be happy about the congratulations and small attentions or to bring a little something to colleagues in the office. You yourself may not find a birthday party in the office so important, but for the team and the working atmosphere it is worthwhile in any case.
What does a successful birthday party in the office look like??
In order to make the day special for the colleague who is having a birthday and to ensure that he or she enjoys coming to the office, both parties, the birthday boy or girl and the colleagues, should actively help with the Design help out. It’s not about making a big fuss every time someone has a birthday, it’s about celebrating birthdays in a personal way and a way to express that you have thought of them.
For this Roles be clearly distributed:
- birthday child: The colleague who has a birthday will take care of the physical well-being.
- colleagues: The rest of the team thinks of a nice gesture that will bring joy to the birthday boy or girl.
So that the organization does not degenerate into stress, it helps if you give some thought to the following points:
- Who will take charge of the organization? Experience shows that it works best if there is a colleague in the team who keeps track of all birthdays and takes care of the planning in good time. This person holds the reins tightly, distributes tasks and keeps everyone informed.
- What is done? Think together as a team about what the birthday boy or girl might enjoy. For example, send a circular email asking for ideas. Colleagues who work closely with the birthday girl or share an office should be especially involved in providing ideas, as they usually know the person best.
- Who does what? So that not only one person has a lot of work, everyone should take over a small task. One of them thinks of a nice saying for the card, the other one gets balloons and so on.
Some tips and rules for the birthday party in the office
It is advisable to hold the birthday party in the office as casual and informal as possible to design. A nice celebration is normal, but you usually do not have to go all out. If you are new to the company and correspondingly unsure, you can ask some colleagues in advance how birthdays are handled or you can look at how others celebrate their birthdays – if it’s not your birthday shortly after your first day at work.
However, despite the relaxed atmosphere at the birthday party, you should pay attention to some aspects, so that the party is really a relaxed time that improves the working atmosphere and where colleagues get along well with each other. These tips and rules can help you:
Remember to invite your colleagues in good time.
Write an invitation email stating inform everyone in the team about it, that you would like to celebrate and communicate the most important information (what, when, where). On the day of the celebration, you should send a reminder note again, so that no one takes anything else for lunch or after work.
Invite everyone in the team.
So that nobody excluded or does not feel welcome, make sure that every team member receives your invitation. Sometimes it happens that the office assistant or the interns are forgotten.
Do not overdo it.
Your colleagues don’t expect you to be invited to a fancy Michelin-starred restaurant or to serve champagne and caviar appetizers at the get-together. Even if it is well-intentioned, such actions have an effect quickly like ostentation.
Don’t make the birthday party too long.
You have a birthday and want to celebrate it with your colleagues, but always remember that you are still at work. Your boss will Do not object to a small celebration, However, if it drags on for a long time, it may remind you that there are still a few things waiting to be done. The lavish celebration should take place after hours.
Think about all the people present.
If you are bringing something to eat or drink, be sure to remember ahead of time that something for every colleague and no one feels left out. An exaggerated example: If you have a vegan and a vegetarian in the office, it is not very prudent to serve only fat rolls and bratwurst.
It is particularly considerate if you also Allergies and food intolerances (as far as you know them) pay attention and offer an alternative.
These are the mistakes you should avoid when celebrating a birthday in the office
There is not much that can go wrong with a birthday party in the office. With a little food and drinks, you’ll be on the safe side and can enjoy your special day together with your colleagues. A few mistakes you should avoid, however, so that the celebration does not become a problem and leads to anger afterwards.
- Do not get drunk. Alcohol on the job, even at a birthday party, is a touchy subject. If you have talked to your boss about it, a glass of champagne to toast is usually still okay, but you should leave it at that.
- Do not exclude anyone. If you celebrate your birthday at work and invite only four of the seven colleagues, it is only a matter of time before the office blessing hangs crooked. Here applies the golden rule: Either all or none at all. The situation is different for a private celebration. There you can invite whoever you want.
- Do not make demands. Your birthday party in the office is a nice gesture because you want to celebrate a little with your colleagues – not because you expect something in return. Therefore, refrain from asking Like? You did not get me a present?
Here’s how you can arrange the birthday party at the office
You want to celebrate with your colleagues, but you have no idea for the Design of the day. What to keep in mind to make the celebration fun for you and your colleagues:
Have breakfast together.
Why does it always have to be the end of the day? A nice breakfast together provides a good start to the day. Just start the working day an hour earlier, then there is enough time to have a hearty breakfast. sausage and cheese platters are easy to order in advance and can be delivered directly to the office. Also remember the Conference room or other venue to reserve with a large table. Having breakfast together creates a family atmosphere.
Go out to eat together with colleagues.
If you do not have much time to prepare something yourself, it is a good idea to invite your colleagues to join you to invite for lunch. Make sure, however, that the restaurant of your choice is easily accessible from the office, so that the lunch break is not too long overrun. It is advisable to choose a restaurant where each of your colleagues will find in the choice of food, for example, a good Italian restaurant.
Organize a small picnic.
A picnic, especially in the summer, is a nice change. Food that can be eaten without cutlery is best for such an occasion, for example, sandwiches or small wraps. Now all you need are picnic blankets and paper cups and nothing will get in the way of a lunch break in the sun.
Postpone the celebration to a Saturday.
During the week and during working hours, most colleagues are busy and the birthday is celebrated between door and door. Would you prefer to eat extensively and celebrate your festive day in peace, you could, for example, schedule it for Saturday morning. Meet for coffee and cake or in a bistro, for example. However, make sure that the place is centrally located, so that no one has to travel far.
Go together to sing karaoke.
For example, use Friday evening to go out with your colleagues. A Fun alternative to the pub is the karaoke bar. It’s a great opportunity to laugh and have fun together. It’s incredibly bonding to belt out "Don’t go breaking my heart" by Elton John and Kiki Dee together with a colleague.
How to deliver congratulations
As personal as possible.
For congratulations, it’s better to deliver in person than in writing, better to handwrite than email, better to email than text message. Congratulations are like greetings: a message. And it says two things: something about the sender and something about what he thinks of the receiver.
Be careful with compliments.
Anything that becomes more personal is dangerous. If you want to compliment a woman on her appearance on her birthday, you run the risk of being misunderstood. And you may look like a slimeball to the boss afterwards. Both are poison for the office climate.
Give away a lifetime.
No matter what form you choose for greeting cards: Always avoid the impression that you are fulfilling a chore with such a message. Pre-printed "Happy Birthday" birthday cards or those with pseudo-funny sayings seem unimaginative. Better: You choose a simple card and think of a short two-liner. It is correct to sign the congratulations at least by hand – but it is more heartfelt to write the lines completely with a fountain pen.
After all, it’s about relationships, about mutual appreciation. And the more effort you put in and the more thought you put into it, the more it works. And not because your text was so brilliant, but because there is something valuable in it: life time.
Tips for colleagues
Just giving a card with money or an Amazon gift card seems unimaginative and makes the colleague who is having a birthday feel like no one cares. But there is no time for too much effort next to work. What can you do to make the day special for the birthday child? Here are some suggestions:
Perform a little skit.
Two people from the team take over this task and think of some funny words about the birthday child. Anecdotes from the common working time are best suited for this, but you can also find suggestions for such on the Internet small spectacles. It’s a continuation of the usual speech given on the birthday. Sketches are especially suitable for round birthdays.
Decorate the desk.
For the birthday boy or girl, it is an especially nice feeling to come into the office in the morning and immediately realize that the colleagues have thought of you. Let your Give free rein to creativity. It may be quiet a little crazy and overloaded. Drape garlands and streamers around the desk. Stick funny birthday sayings with congratulations on the monitor and blow up balloons. Only you should make sure that the documents of the colleague are not damaged.
Design a personal gift basket.
This can be a Theme basket be, for example, if the colleague is a passionate gardener. Or you fill the basket with all kinds of goodies. Each colleague contributes something that he or she particularly likes.
Create a personal souvenir.
You can also get artistic and design something beautiful for the office of the colleague. A personalized wooden mosaic or a fingerprint canvas are just two of an incredible number of possibilities. Both can be implemented with little effort. It is especially fun when you incorporate the design into the birthday celebration. Each of the colleagues paints a part and immortalizes itself. Out of this comes a individual gift.
Say thank you in person.
A birthday is a wonderful time to thank the colleague for their dedication and support. For example, make a short video in which everyone says thank you in a few words. Another option is to design a PowerPoint presentation. Each of the colleagues creates a slide and expresses on it why the birthday boy or girl is an important part of the team. This can be printed out and bound afterwards. Such a gesture shows the birthday child how much he or she is thought of the colleagues at heart lies.
How to celebrate your birthday in the office? We are happy to receive more suggestions.