How to Appropriately Celebrate Valentine's Day in the Office
Valentine’s Day, like any other holiday, is a great way to liven the mood at work and celebrate an age-old custom that dates back to the 14th century. Even though it’s an informal holiday, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy Valentine’s Day in the workplace.
As a celebration of love and romance, HR teams could be forgiven for worrying that Valentine’s Day might lead to inappropriate workplace behavior. However, there are plenty of fun—and work-friendly—ideas for Valentine’s Day in the office.
Whether you’re planning a party for February 14 or want to explore best practices, we’ve assembled a thorough guide on how to celebrate Valentine’s Day at work.
How to Celebrate Valentine’s Day at Work
Celebrating Valentine’s Day in the office can be a festive way to boost employee engagement. Below, we’ve included some simple but effective ways to commemorate the day.
Focus on Friendship Rather than Love
While Valentine’s Day traditionally focuses on romantic love, there’s plenty more you can celebrate on February 14. Friendship allows everyone to get involved and fosters positive relationships among the team. Providing you focus on genuine, positive feelings, there’s little chance employees will feel uncomfortable.
Be Inclusive and Treat Everyone Equally
Being inclusive is a good workplace rule of thumb in general, but it’s especially so on workplace holidays. If you plan on buying your staff Valentine’s Day treats—flowers, chocolate, or gifts—buy them for everyone. Don’t single out one gender, team, or person. Make it a collective activity.
Remind Everyone to Keep It Professional
For Valentine’s Day at work, it’s in everybody’s interest that you discourage romantic gestures. There may be occasions where staff develop romantic feelings for one another. These could be reciprocal relationships that are fully acknowledged and known to the business, or they may be unannounced or even secret.
If there are couples in the workplace, it’s not your organization’s place to put a spotlight on them, even during Valentine’s Day. Similarly, if you’re aware of one person’s feelings for another team member, don’t draw attention to it.
What Are the Benefits of Celebrating Valentine’s Day in the Workplace?
Regular breaks and holidays are key to keeping employees happy. While this doesn’t mean throwing a party once a week, recognizing informal holidays like Valentine’s Day can help lift the mood or show that you appreciate your people.
We’ve listed some key reasons celebrating Valentine’s Day in the office can benefit your team.
Boost Employee Camaraderie
Everyone likes to be appreciated, and Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to show your teams some love. Using Valentine’s Day to focus on workplace friendships and appreciation can help you boost team camaraderie. Coming together as a group to celebrate each other is a great way to foster team spirit and build a workplace community.
Promote Positivity
Valentine’s Day takes place in the last month of winter (for those of us in the northern hemisphere), and though spring is just around the corner, it can still feel gloomy.
But it’s harder to feel gloomy when you’re decorating cupcakes, enjoying a team lunch, or getting friendly Valentine’s Day cards. Simple, appreciation-centered activities can boost employees’ mood and and put some pep in their step.
Develop a Caring Community
Valentine’s Day can be a great opportunity to show your staff you care about them as people, not just employees. If people know that their team is invested in their wellbeing as well as their work, they’re more likely to feel safe in the workplace.
This could mean fewer stress-related incidents and days off. It also means when problems arise, employees shouldn’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help. Your HR team or their manager can act quickly and provide the right support.
What Are Some Valentine’s Day Office Ideas?
If you’re throwing a Valentine’s Day party in the office, coming up with Valentine-themed ideas that are also appropriate for a professional setting can feel like a challenge. We’ve put together a selection of the best ideas for a Valentine’s event at work.
Feel free to incorporate these into your office’s plans or change them as you see fit.
- Host breakfast: Start the day right with a hearty breakfast. You can get festive with themed foods (heart-shaped pancakes, anyone?) or stick to the basics. If you have staff that work remotely, meal vouchers or prepaid cards are just as welcome.
- Organize an office party: Pick a date and time, and start planning a Valentine’s Day-themed party. You can include games, activities, and opportunities for employee recognition.
- Decorate the office: This can be a team activity or delegated to a group of enthusiastic “decorators.” You can buy Valentine’s Day decorations or save money and make your own. Go traditional and focus on hearts, cupids and roses, or choose your own alternate options.
- Create an appreciation board: This can make recognition a lot more approachable. It doesn’t have to be complex, either—a simple corkboard or even a blank wall can work. Some feel more comfortable giving praise or feedback anonymously, but use your own discretion given the size of your team. However you do it, the point is to encourage your team to share what they appreciate about their co-workers.
- Hand out goody bags: Goody bags, whatever they’re filled with, are always a nice treat. The gifts don’t have to be themed either. It’s a just a nice option for celebrating Valentine’s Day at work that’ll certainly be popular with your staff. Remember, keep gifts neutral and ensure everyone feels included.
- Play Valentine’s Day-themed games: Another way to boost the mood in the office on Valentine’s Day can be with a series of light-hearted games. These can be anything from bingo to a themed crossword. Offer prizes for the winners to encourage participation and lighthearted competitive spirit.
- Decorate cupcakes or cookies: Decorating food is a great way to bring people together. Not only does it give them a chance to unwind and take their minds off work, but it also lets people inject some creativity into their day.
What Should You Avoid When Celebrating Valentine’s Day at Work?
While Valentine’s Day in the office can be a great source of fun and a wonderful way to show your appreciation, there’s also a potential for things to go awry. By being aware of common pitfalls, you can learn what to avoid and how to prevent future problems.
Keep Valentine’s Day Work Parties Professional
Whether you’re planning a party, organizing games and activities, or hosting a team lunch, it’s important to remember boundaries. While your goal is to develop a stronger sense of camaraderie, it’s important employees understand they’re still at work.
This also includes refraining from prying into employees’ personal lives. Workplace romances happen more often than you might think, but that’s why workplace dating policies are so crucial.
Celebrate Everyone in the Office Equally on Valentine’s Day
If you’re a senior member of staff, buying gifts for one person or one gender is unlikely to reflect well on you. Singling any employee out for a gift can be seen as inappropriate and will likely make people uncomfortable.
A blanket gesture, on the other hand, will be seen a thoughtful touch and a nice way to commemorate the day as a group.
Respect People’s Decisions in the Workplace on Valentine’s Day
Give our staff plenty of warning that you plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day in the office. While you can recognize employees, include them in office celebrations, and encourage them to share on the appreciation board, you shouldn’t make them feel obliged to participate.
Tips on How to Celebrate Valentine’s Day at Work Appropriately
If you’re planning to celebrate Valentine’s Day at work, there are a few things you can do to help things run smoothly and keep everything above board in the run up to February 14, day of, and after.
Keep Your Staff Informed
Whatever you plan on doing, whether it’s throwing a party, hosting a company breakfast, or creating an employee appreciation board, let your staff know in advance. You can do this by emailing an itinerary for the day or by putting up notices around the office. If you have regular meetings or stand-ups, don’t forget to mention your plans.
Set Up a Team to Help with Organizing
If you have a large team, it can be tricky managing all the Valentine’s Day festivities by yourself. Share the event planning and organization, so you can still do your day job.
Remember, There’s Still Work to Do
As fun as celebrating Valentine’s Day in the office is, everyone still has to fulfill their job responsibilities. This means you can’t let the celebrations take up the entire day.
Instead, hold events during lunch, or try keep activities or games short and easy to join. It’s natural for people to get up and stretch their legs throughout the day, so why not incorporate that into Valentine’s Day activities?