Updated March 3, 2022
There’s something about St. Patrick’s Day that brings out the light-hearted side in all of us.
For organizations, it’s the perfect excuse to get co-workers together and celebrate. Working remotely doesn't mean you can't partake - it's just as easy to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day virtually.
Here are some fun St. Patrick's Day work ideas to build culture and put your employees in high spirits on March 17th.
Irish and Famous
Did you know that it was an Irishman, James Hoban, who designed Capitol Hill’s White House? Or that one of the world’s largest organizations, Procter & Gamble, was co-founded by James Gamble, originating from County Fermanagh?
Create an online quiz to test your team's knowledge of Irish famous facts and faces. Or get them to nominate their most-admired famous Irish person - celebrating the special day and improving general knowledge at the same time.
Feast Fit for a Saint
Guinness in the workplace isn’t appropriate for many offices. But how about swapping a pint of the black stuff for a shot of something green and healthy – such as a delicious, high-protein smoothie for morning tea?
To balance out all that goodness, add a slice of warm, buttery soda bread, or a piece of traditional Irish fruitcake Barmbrack as a side. Irish eyes will be smiling all around the office!
Paint the Town Green
Well, maybe not the ‘town’ as rock band The Script would have us do. But how about painting the office green? And by painting, we really only mean giving it a fun, festive makeover.
Vivid green balloons; garlands of shamrocks; pots of gold (chocolate coins) and of course, the obligatory sounds of traditional Irish folk (or rock) music in the background, will transform a so-so workplace into a cheerful and atmospheric space.
Use Irish-themed corporate screensavers on every desktop screen to get staff in the spirit every time the images appear. We've created some you can use free - download our St Patrick's Day screensavers.
Gift of the Gab
Anyone who’s kissed the Blarney Stone in County Cork is said to have the gift of the gab: a great natural ability to talk confidently and charmingly, in a way that is highly persuasive. Salespeople are often said to have this smooth-talking trait.
A fun competition to run during the lunch break is to ask individuals to describe their favorite Irish song (or anything Irish-themed) without saying the words “Ah”, “Um” or “Like”. Finalists can compete in a ‘talk-off’ to decide the overall winner.
Green Hats and Costumes
They’ll need a day or two’s notice, but why not encourage staff to dress up for St. Patrick’s day – either as their favorite Irish persona (expect to see dozens of Bono’s and Leprechauns) or simply don a bright green hat?
With their permission, take a group photo and share it via your social media channels. Building employee engagement around St Patrick's Day is a great way to demonstrate your company’s sense of fun and foster positive workplace culture.
Celebrate While Working From Home
You don't need to give up all the fun celebrations just because you're at home. Staff can get together and celebrate with video call events throughout the day.
For example, have a virtual lunch or virtual happy hour. Hold a contest on the best green outfit or green decorated workspace, get staff to submit photos to a unique chatroom, and select a winner.
Encourage staff to change their Zoom backgrounds to something suitably Irish. Challenge teammates to use four-leaf clover emojis 🍀 in their Slack messages as often as possible.
However you decide to celebrate, enjoy the ‘craic’, and may the luck of the Irish always be with you!
