Ideas That Work: Fun and Festive

Celebrating staff birthdays is far from a new idea, but we think we created the perfect twist to the common morale-booster. Before an upcoming birthday, several staff members and I get together to plan a surprise theme, which is usually based on the personality, hobbies or interests of the staff member we’re celebrating. The birthday parties are held on a surgery day, when the entire staff is available to take part in the festivities. We’ve held a Coachella-themed party for a staffer who was obsessed with the music festival, a Wonder Woman party in honor of a nurse’s pregnancy and a Game of Thrones birthday, as well as many others. In order to maintain the element of surprise, several of us stay behind the evening before the party to decorate the break room. While planning the themes requires a bit of effort, it provides an opportunity to learn more about each other’s personal interests and shows the team that we care about them as more than co-workers.

Victoria Wiltshire, MBA, RN
SightTrust Eye Institute
Sunrise, Fla.
[email protected]