It is hard to believe the holiday season is already upon us again! Thanksgiving is in just a little over a week. Time for expressing gratitude, spending time with loved ones, partaking in traditions, and of course, eating too much. Celebrating Thanksgiving at work is a great way to feel festive in the office. Here are five ways to gather with colleagues before turkey day!
1. Host a Worksgiving
Just like Friendsgiving, but with your colleagues! On the last day in the office before the holiday, host a potluck (or catered) lunch featuring everyone’s favorite dishes. This is a good time to connect as a group, reflect on the year, and share what you are thankful for. You can even use Worksgiving as a way to get together with clients or partners, and host it more as an open house than a sit-down lunch. Everyone will be sure to leave full of food and gratitude.
2. Donate
Thanksgiving kicks off the season of giving back. Start off hosting a food drive to donate to families and people in need. Assign each team a different category and collect throughout the week. The day before Thanksgiving, drop off the items at a local kitchen or shelter.
3. Express Gratitude
There are many ways to show what you are thankful for at work. Create a gratitude wall where people can place sticky notes with things that they are thankful for. At the end of the week, it becomes a visual display of what your team is appreciative of. You can also assign secret gratitude buddies (like secret Santa but for Thanksgiving), where everyone draws one random name. Whoever they get, they have to write a card thanking that person for all that they do.
4. Rest & Learn
Time to rest at home is the ultimate way to celebrate. Give everyone the day before or after Thanksgiving off as a time to relax with family. Encourage others to spend a few hours learning about the meaning of the holiday, and the current issues impacting native communities in the U.S. The Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian has lots of free resources here for learning at home.
5. Friendly Competition
What is a holiday work celebration without a little competition? Have a Thanksgiving bake-off to see who makes the sweetest treat. Not only will you get to sample all of the goods, but it is also a fun way for coworkers to share little slices of their holiday traditions.
At AdvantEdge, there is always something to be thankful for. Our workspaces are the perfect place to host your Thanksgiving work celebrations. Host a lunch in the lounge or use a private office space to create a gratitude wall. We are thankful for our clients every day- come check out our spaces to see how you can join today!
