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Halloween in the Workplace: 10 Do’s and Don’ts


rss.shrm.org | Joseph Romsey

​For HR managers and employees alike, Halloween can be more of a trick than a treat. While workplace Halloween festivities can create an atmosphere that helps co-workers have fun and get to know each other, the fall holiday’s central themes are dressing up and scaring people, which not everyone finds enjoyable. 

“Group celebrations are a great way to create connection in a workplace, but they must be handled with care,” said Mark DeFee, a workplace wellness consultant who’s worked with firms such as IBM, Verizon and Motorola. “After all, Halloween can be polarizing for some people. A workplace needs to respect all points of view, so any Halloween-related celebration in the office needs to be optional.”

[SHRM members-only HR Q&A: Halloween Horrors at Work]

One employee’s innocent fun might be another employee’s Halloween horror. For example, at one company’s pre-pandemic Halloween party, a male employee dressed up as the Incredible Hulk, which was fun for him, but he then started lifting female employees into the air without their consent, which was less fun for them—and exposed the company (and the overenthusiastic Hulk) to potential legal liability.

Here are some guidelines for getting more treats and fewer tricks out of your office Halloween celebrations.

1. Communicate a clear intention for the festivities. You can’t plan for everything that may come up during a Halloween celebration. There’s always a chance something unexpected might happen (like the Hulk picking up…


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