Tis the season for Halloween decorations, office parties and costumes.  Holiday parties can be a great opportunity for employee engagement, communication, team building and simply having fun with coworkers.  There is tremendous benefits to gatherings such as this in the workplace.  However, we should recognize when decorations, parties or costumes go awry, we will need to address these concerns.  Not all employees want to participate in decorating the office, participate in the office party or wear a costume to work (me included).  Leaders need to recognize that workplace rules and dress code policies still exist, while maintaining workplace professionalism (yes, I am that guy)!

Below are my 4 thoughts on Halloween pitfalls:

  1. Manger and Supervisor Training: “Some employees may be offended or even afraid to celebrate something they associate with evil, and supervisors need to be sensitive to that…Any parties, department decorations or costume contests should be clearly presented as voluntary, and equal support should be given to those who don’t participate and those who do.”[i]
  2. What Dress Code: “People magazine and Amazon have identified some popular 2018 Halloween costumes that raise red flags:
  • An inflatable, giant “poop” emoji.
  • A Bill Cosby costume that depicts the comedian hauling away an unconscious woman.
  • Costumes that depict celebrities who’ve recently died from overdoses or committed suicide.
  • A President Donald Trump costume, complete with a garish, comb-over wig. 
  • Sexy costumes inspired by the dramatic series “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which explores themes of women in subjugation.”[ii]

Halloween parties, costume events and even athletic jersey days allow employees to depart from the normal dress code, we normally expect at work.  However, the dress code policy still needs to be enforced.  Advice from SHRM, is a simple metric, employees should be covered from shoulders to knees.  Organizations should give examples of appropriate and inappropriate costumes, jersey’s or other dress down days to ensure adherence to the dress code and to proactively avoid any future pitfalls.  What if an employee violates the policy?  Simple, send them home to change or ask them to cover the inappropriate attire.  Coach and council or discipline as needed.  Set the example and hold folks accountable.

3. Halloween Decorations: “Generally speaking, I would not advise companies to decorate,” Wilson said. “If employees want to put a small pumpkin on their desk, that can be a personal decision, but perhaps send an e-mail advising all employees that any gruesome or graphic or otherwise distracting decor is not allowed… witches, demons and goblins can be unprofessional and potentially offensive to co-workers and customers.”[iii] 

4. Is this Mandatory: The organization should make clear, that participation in any Halloween festivities; decorating, party or costumes will be voluntary, and no one will be forced to participate.

Seasonal parties can be a great event for team building, communication and having fun as an organization.  As leaders, we still need to enforce rules and ensure there are no issues related to inappropriate decorations, dress code violating costumes and/or mandatory parties.  Communicate expectations and hold everyone accountable.  The tone is always set at the top.

[i] https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/pages/1015-solutions.aspx

[ii] https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/employee-relations/pages/halloween-at-work-2018.aspx

[iii] https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/employee-relations/pages/halloween-at-work-2018.aspx

Unknown's avatar

Published by Mathew W. Burr, MJ-LEL, MBA, MHRIR, GPHR, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, CPHR-INT, Chartered CIPD

Mathew W. Burr, MJ-LEL, MBA, MHRIR, GPHR, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, CPHR-INT, Chartered MCIPD Lean Six Sigma Black Belt ABOUT: Matthew Burr has over 18-years of experience working in the human resources field, starting his career as an Industrial Relations Intern at Kennedy Valve Manufacturing to most recently founding and managing a human resource consulting company; Burr Consulting, LLC, Talentscape, LLC and Co-Owner of Labor Love, a Labor, and Employment Law poster printing company. Prior to founding the consulting firm, the majority of his career was heavy industry manufacturing and healthcare. He specializes in compliance auditing, training labor and employment law, conflict resolution, performance management, labor, and employment relations. Matthew has a generalist background in HR and operations, while providing strategic HR and operational solutions to his clients, focusing on small and medium sized organizations. He works as an Adjunct at Alfred State University, Tompkins Cortland Community College, and Montgomery Community College. He successfully designed an HR Concentration in the business management major that aligned with both SHRM and HRCI certifications, providing opportunities for students to sit for both the SHRM-CP and aPHR certifications upon completion of the degree, concentration, and internship hours as an Assistant Professor of Management at Elmira College (Retired January 2022). Matthew is also the SHRM Certification Exam Instructor, with a current pass rate of 92% on the SHRM-SCP and 83% pass rate on the SHRM-CP and a combined 88% on both exams over a 7-year period of instructing the course (Elmira College, Collin College & The College of St. Rose). Matthew works as a trainer at Tompkins Cortland Community College, Corning Community College, Broome Community College, and HR Instructor for Certification Preparation for the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). He also acts as an On-Call Mediator and Factfinder through the Public Employment Relations Board in New York State, working with public sector employers and labor unions. PUBLICATIONS: Matthew has over 70+ publications including, American Bar Association (ABA) Experience Magazine, Cornell HR Review, Business Insider, New York State Bar Association (NYSBA), PayScale, Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), and Expert 360 (in Australia). In early 2017, he published his first book, “$74,000 in 24 Months: How I killed my student loans (and you can too!),” proceeded by his second book, which was published in January 2021, “Slay the Student Loan Dragon: Tips and Tricks on How to Conquer the Student Loan Game” and his most recent book, “Unbox Your HR Career” in July 2023. VOLUNTEER WORK: Matthew is currently the New York State Society of Human Resource Management (NYSSHRM) District-Director. EDUCATION & TRAINING: Additional Training & Development:  SHRM Workplace Coaching and Mentoring Recertification Program, 2020  SHRM Foundation Employing Abilities @Work Certificate, 2020  SHRM Foundation Veterans at Work Certificate Program, 2018  Delta County Chamber of Commerce: Delta Force Leadership Program, 2013 FEATURED IN & ON: Matthew was featured on CNN Money, Fast Company, Fits Small Business, Fox News, Magnify Money, Monster.com, My Twin Tiers, Namely, Student Loan Hero, Smart Sheet and CEO Blog Nation, Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI), Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). Burr Consulting, LLC Capabilities Statement General Information: Burr Consulting, LLC Owner: Matthew W. Burr Mission Statement: “Strategically Aligning HR as a Partner for the Success of Your Business” Contact Information: Burr Consulting, LLC What's New in HR Blog Talentscape, LLC Labor Love, LLC (Labor Posters) The HR Support Center The Upstate HR Podcast (607)227-4386 Matthew@Burrconsultingllc.com Facebook: Burr Consulting, LLC LinkedIn: Burr Consulting, LLC Twitter: @Burrconsulting Online Certification Verification: Credibly Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) Number: 080776443 NAICS Codes: 541612, 923130, 54161, 541611, 541613, 611430, 541618, 561312, 561311 SIC: 8742, 8748, 9441, 8748001, 8748026 Our Services HR MANAGEMENT New Hire Orientation; Temporary HR Support; Recruiting and Application Tracking; HR Compliance (ADA, FMLA); Employee Handbook; Policy and Procedure; HRIS; HR Audits; Job Profile Design and Revision; HR Key Performance Indicators; EEO Reporting and Classification; State Unemployment Insurance Services TRAINING & TRAINING DEVELOPMENT Organizational Development; Employee Relations; Workplace Violence; Harassment & Sexual Harassment; Union Awareness; Managerial EMPLOYEE & LABOR RELATIONS Employee Relations Training; Conflict Resolution; Mentoring; Workplace Investigations; Labor Contract Costing; Mediation & Arbitration Prep; Fact-Finding; Workplace Investigations; Coaching & Counseling; Performance Reviews; Contingency Plan Development; Contingency Plan Training; State of New York Public Employment Relations Board (PERB)PERB Mediation and Fact-Finding Panels (Albany, NY covering the Elmira, NY Area) HIRING & RECRUITMENT Applicant Tracking Systems; Metric Development; Interview Training; Workforce Planning; Recruitment; Interviews; Job Offers; New Hire Process POLICY & COMPENSATION Group Plans – Healthcare, Dental, Vision, Group Life, Short- and Long-Term Disability; Retirement – 401(k), Profit Sharing, Roth; Workers Compensation; Total Compensation Design and Strategy; Deferred Compensation Plans; Salary Surveys; Reward Systems; Online Payroll; Customized Payroll Processing; Employee Self Service; Customized Reporting HR COMPLIANCE MATERIALS Burr Consulting, LLC is excited to announce a new partnership with Labor Love LLC, expanding our services to include HR printed materials compliant with industry standards.

Leave a comment