FUN WAYS TO CELEBRATE VALENTINE’S DAY IN YOUR WORKPLACE from Wood Personnel Services
Ever wonder how we got into the habit of sharing Valentine’s Day cards and chocolates? Here’s a little background for you:
- The holiday itself is an intermingling of a variety of traditions and folklore, and is thought to have originated in England or France.
- The first box of Valentine’s Day candy is said to have been given in the late 1800’s.
- The first greeting card, created in the 1400’s, was actually a Valentine’s Day card (and is on display at the British Museum in London).
Valentine’s Day falls on a weekday this year – and provides a great excuse for having some fun in your workplace! If you’re planning to celebrate, here are a few work-appropriate activities to “put a little love” in your party:
- Scavenger hunt. Create teams of employees to work together in locating Valentine’s-inspired objects throughout your workplace. Give them a list of items to find, set a strict time limit and award prizes to the team that finds the most items. To add a Valentine’s spin to the scavenger hunt, include items that are pink or red, or hide candy hearts. This activity is fun, fast-paced and builds camaraderie among workers.
- Red-themed party. Pass around a potluck sign-up sheet featuring a red and pink menu: cherry tomatoes, strawberries, pasta with tomato sauce, shrimp with cocktail sauce, red licorice, and red velvet cupcakes. Decorate your workplace with red and white streamers and balloons. And as a finishing touch, ask everyone to dress in their favorite red, pink or white top.
- Guessing games. Fill a clear mason jar with conversation hearts and ask the staff to guess how many are in the container. The one who comes closest, without going over, wins the jar. Or, fill an office bulletin board with differently sized, overlapping red and pink paper hearts. Award a prize to the person with the most accurate guess.
- Heart-to-heart conversation. Hand each participant a box of candy conversation hearts, and give individuals one minute to make a sentence from the words printed on the hearts (allow them to fill in the blanks with conjunctions and articles – words like “but,” “or,” and “the”). Assemble a judging panel to award prizes for the most creative sentence, longest sentence and silliest sentence.
- Secret Valentine. Set this activity up a week before Valentine’s Day, since it requires shopping. Write each employee’s name on the back of a paper heart. Then, staple the hearts (name hidden) onto a bulletin board, with women’s names on the left and men’s names on the right. Ask each employee to select a heart – men choose from the women’s side; women choose from the men’s. Have your employees purchase small gifts (set a dollar limit) for the individuals they’ve chosen and bring them to work on Valentine’s Day – wrapped in red or white. Place all the gifts on a table and have a fun gift exchange!
No matter how you choose to celebrate Valentine’s, this Nashville staffing agency hopes you make it a great one!
About Wood Personnel Services
Wood Personnel has been a part of the Middle Tennessee business community since 1988. Our exclusive focus on serving Nashville, Cool Springs, Gallatin, Lebanon and Murfreesboro, TN gives us a hometown advantage in working with Middle Tennessee’s best employers and employees. Local decision making means fewer delays and less red tape than other firms. We provide better service and stronger candidates to our employers, while helping job seekers find the right opportunities quickly and professionally.