A good work costume will not be too offensive, sexy or violent. It should also be comfortable to... [+]
With Halloween landing right in the middle of the week, there's likely fewer extracurricular activities taking place. However, within the workplace the ghosts of bad form may kill your good reputation. Here are seven tips to execute in your workplace this Halloween.
1. Attract good spirits with treats. If your office or cubicle is in a high traffic area, have a bowl of treats for passers-by. You may not have a sugar tooth yourself, but this small gesture will be appreciated by your neighbors—it's also a simple way to strike up conversations.
2. If you're buried, shut your door. Not everyone has the time or the interest to participate in holiday festivities. If this is the case for you, shut the door to your office to let everyone know they're walking past a social graveyard. If you are stuck in a cubicle, hang a tombstone with a do not disturb message.
3. Respect the dead. If you know someone is buried with a project, don't barge in and interrupt just because you want to show off your clown nose or T-shirt that reads "This is my Halloween costume." Of course if you must enter the graveyard you can soften the blow with treats.
4. Catch co-workers in your web. Decorate your area to lure office traffic. With co-workers showing up, you might be able to highlight a new project you're working on or resource they didn't know was available. Just be sure not to make your area an obstacle course people purposely avoid.
5. Don't rattle the chains too loud. There's a lot of creepy dolls and animatronic limbs that make noise when people walk by. If you grace your haunted cubicle with one of these, be sure the volume is turned down or only turned on in off-peak hours when your co-workers won't be disturbed by screams and howls every 5 minutes.
6. Keep an eye on the little goblins. If your kids are stopping by the office, don't let them run rampant. Some companies allow kids to trick or treat from office to office before hitting the streets where the real action is at. If you have a family-friendly office be sure to escort your kids around—sometimes the bosses office can be scarier than a haunted house.
7. Dress like a clown. Or a pirate. Or a ballplayer. Just be sure that your costume is work appropriate. That means nothing too sexy, offensive or violent. Also make sure your costume isn't overly bulky, in that it effects your job or the work of those around you. It would be embarrassing to walk around the office inadvertently knocking things over. Lastly, keep it comfortable. Masks might get annoying after a few hours (or perhaps minutes), whereas a little makeup is likely more pleasant for most. Moreover, giant spider legs sticking out of your back would make it difficult to sit down too—maybe that's why Spider-Man simply put the emblem on his chest.
I hope you all have a safe and happy Halloween!
