Halloween in the Workplace? It Depens...

Halloween Will Soon Be Upon Us — Are You Prepared?
In addition to personally getting ready for Trick or Treating or costume parties with friends, a Halloween-practices survey by vault.com found that employees at an increasing number of companies are getting into the holiday as well.

The type of celebrations will most likely depend on your working environment. Certain Halloween costumes may not be safe in a manufacturing environment, and it’s probably best to avoid dressing as the Grim Reaper if you work in an Emergency room. (Believe it or not, it’s been done. It didn’t go over well.) Here are some other helpful hints to go by when participating in a Halloween office party that long time employees are familiar with but they might seem foreign to recent college graduates. George Lenard does a good job at summing it up here in a posting to a helpful website: http://www.employmentblawg.com/.

What to Do: Employees
!Pitch in! Unless there is a good reason for not doing so. If your religion forbids you from wearing a costume (of if the idea of doing so causes you to break into a sweat of embarrassment), make sure to let your supervisor know. Be clear — diplomatically — about activities that are within, and outside of, your comfort zone.


Intoxication. This should go without saying, because it’s never a good idea to get drunk while at work. You might not remember what you did at the office party, but your boss and/or co-workers almost certainly will.

Excessive Exposure. You may have always dreamed of being an exotic dancer or a loincloth-wearing he-man, but the office is not the place to let loose your inner dreams with sexy costumes. Overly revealing costumes might give rise to sexual harassment claims; besides, this is a party, but it’s still a work party.

Politics. You may think that Barack Obama or John McCain Sarah Palin is the coolest thing to hit politics in years — or the opposite — but the office Halloween party is not the place to emulate your favorite political hero or lampoon your favorite political villain with a mask or costume. Politically-themed masks or costumes can make others uncomfortable, or worse, invite an outright argument.


Think About It. Our workplaces are increasingly matching our country as a whole as places where diverse people gather in close company. Therefore, as you’re picking out your costume and choosing your office activities, avoid anything that might give offense based on ethnicity, religion or race. This isn’t about being “politically correct” — it’s is about making sure your co-workers can also enjoy, and not feel uncomfortable or hurt about, this office activity that’s supposed to belong to all of you.

*Employment Blog