There may be some people who are fortunate enough to get their birthday off of work, but that doesn’t apply to everyone. So, if you’ve got a work bestie or know a hard-working colleague who’s going to be working on their special day, we’ve come up with lots of ways to celebrate a birthday at work. Whether you want to keep things simple or feel like making it a proper occasion, just keep on reading to discover our office birthday ideas!
1. Get the whole team to sign a card
Whenever there’s a special occasion like a birthday, a card is practically a must! So, make sure to be prepared and pick them up a lovely card that the whole team can write inside.
And if you’re not sure what to write, don’t worry! We know it’s not easy to come up with your own note, especially if multiple people have already written theirs before you and you don’t want to write the same thing as them. That’s why we’ve got a whole blog full of birthday messages for colleagues (and bosses) to help inspire you.
Here at thortful, we’ve got our own collection of 30,000+ birthday cards to browse through, available in all sorts of styles from funny to classic. Have a little sneak peek below at some of the wonderful original designs our talented creators have come up with:
2. Group together to get them a gift
Aside from a card, you might also want to see if other members of the team would be happy to chip in and get them a gift. Of course, if it’s your work bestie, you’ll probably have already sorted something yourself, but deciding on what to get them as a group is where it can start to get tricky. Luckily, we have pulled together our own round-up of gift ideas for coworkers that should hopefully make things a little bit easier for you.
3. Get everyone in the office to sing happy birthday
We think it’s important to mention that whether you decide to do this one or not really depends on the type of person they are.
For instance, if they’re not a fan of being the centre of attention, you might want to give this one a miss so that they don’t feel awkward or embarrassed. However, if they don’t mind all eyes on them then getting the whole office to sing them happy birthday could be a lovely way to start off their day.
4. Bring in a birthday cake
Another birthday essential – no matter your age, practically everyone loves a birthday cake, whether that be a chocolate fudge, a Victoria sponge, or something else. Even in the office, a birthday cake will go down a treat, especially as other coworkers will be able to grab a slice.
To top it off, you could even sing whilst someone else brings in a cake adorned with some lit candles to blow out – the full office birthday shebang!
5. Decorate their desk
Sitting at your desk in the office on your birthday won’t exactly feel much different to most other weekdays. To make it feel more like a special occasion, why not decorate their desk?
Blow up some balloons, nicely sprinkle some confetti on their desk, and hang a birthday banner – it’s really up to you how wild you go with the decorations. Just make sure to try to get to the office before they do; otherwise, it won’t be a surprise.
6. Organise a team outing
Perhaps you don’t want the celebrations to be just in the office? Let’s be honest, a birthday is the perfect excuse for getting a bunch of work colleagues together and doing some team-bonding. Depending on where you work, the outings you have to choose from will vary, but some initial ideas may include bowling, cocktail making, or an escape room.
Of course, they may have other plans on the day of their actual birthday, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find another date to do something as a team! Even a simple birthday lunch out at a tasty spot nearby would be a good shout if it’s hard to organise something after working hours.
7. Don’t forget to celebrate any remote coworkers
We understand that a lot of the previous ideas only really work for those who go into the office, but what about potential remote coworkers? After all, there are still many workplaces that allow employees to work from home.
Well, just because you’re not going to see them in-person doesn’t mean you can’t still put in effort to make it a memorable working day for them. First things first, you can get a birthday card delivered to their home address along with any potential foodie bits or gifts that you’ve also sorted as a team.
You could also do some sort of surprise party by adding an online meeting into their diary – just make sure it looks like any old meeting as you don’t want them to be concerned! Then you can have the rest of the team join in order to sing them happy birthday and do some sort of activity like virtual trivia or a murder mystery.
As you can see, there are lots of ways to celebrate work birthdays, whether they’re in the office or not, and we hope these ideas help you make a coworker feel extra special.
Maybe you’ve got another reason to celebrate and need our expertise? From tips on planning the ultimate retirement party all the way to solo birthday ideas, over on the thortful blog we’ve got loads more special occasion inspiration.
