October can feel like a long stretch. Summer holidays are a distant memory, the nights are drawing in, and some people just don’t want to think about the festive season that early. Without a bank holiday in sight to offer a long weekend reset, colleague energy levels can naturally drop.
The good news though is that people managers don’t need a massive budget or a major planning session to give colleague morale a seasonal boost. Halloween provides a fun, inclusive and low-cost opportunity to that bring teams together, whether your colleagues are sitting in the same building or working remotely.
Here are four simple ways to bring a festive boost to your workplace this October, along with a hassle-free way to reward your spooktacular winners.
1. Host a virtual costume parade
Costume contests are a spooky-season classic, and they work best when participation is easy and voluntary, such as pictures following the Halloween weekend.
In-office teams
Hold a mid-afternoon “costume catwalk” or coffee break gathering in a common area where participating colleagues (and visiting furry friends, if office policy allows!) can show off their outfits.
Remote teams
Set aside 20 minutes at the start of a video call for a “Virtual Costume Parade.” Encourage employees to dress up, set up a spooky virtual background, or even invite their pets to join in costume.
Remember to keep categories light and fun. Instead of just “Best Costume,” try having awards like Most Creative DIY, Best Last-Minute Costume or Best Spooky Pet.
2. Organise a Halloween trivia & mystery coffee break
If costumes aren’t everyone’s style, a quick brain-teaser break is an easy way to get people talking without putting anyone in the spotlight.
Spooky trivia
Run a 15-minute quiz over Teams or Zoom with questions about horror film facts, Halloween folklore, or autumn trivia. Offer small prizes to the winners or to the colleagues who know the answers to the most obscure questions for a little more competition.
“Trick or Treat” mystery coffee pairs
Randomly pair employees from different departments for a 15-minute coffee chat during Halloween week to help colleagues connect across teams. Consider pairing this with an easy Halloween activity such as designing a pumpkin.
Mystery treats
Set up a mystery treats table in a communal area where people can try different treats and guess what they are. This could include a Halloween punch (cranberry, cherry or raspberry?), flavoured coffee (caramel or pumpkin?) or even jelly beans (orange, mango or pumpkin?).
3. Launch a desk-decorating challenge
Transforming the workspace, whether in the office or virtually at home, is a great way to spark creativity and conversation across departments.
In-office teams
Give teams or individual desks 30 minutes to decorate using cobwebs, pumpkin lights, and festive signage, then invite colleagues to walk around and vote for their favourite setup.
Remote teams
Challenge home-office workers to submit a photo of their desk or workspace themed for Halloween to a shared messaging channel, like Teams or Slack, for virtual voting.
To keep costs down, set a rule that decorations should be handmade, upcycled or budget-friendly!
4. Reward great effort with seasonal “treats”
Low-cost recognition goes a long way toward making employees feel appreciated, especially during long stretches between holidays. Rather than handing out gifts that end up forgotten in a desk drawer, micro-rewards that offer genuine choice are far more impactful.
This is where Asda e-vouchers make the perfect team “treat”:
Flexible spending
Recipients can use their e-voucher online or in-store across Asda and George, whether they want to buy autumn snack platters for the team, stock up on comfort food, pick up seasonal home décor or treat themselves to some new tech.
Instant delivery for hybrid teams
You can order Asda e-vouchers in bulk and send them straight to an employee’s inbox within seconds. This ensures remote team members get their reward at the same moment as in-office colleagues.
Fit any budget
With values ranging from smaller micro-rewards to larger prizes, you can stick strictly to your HR benefits/rewards budget while giving employees something genuinely useful and that they are grateful to receive.