5 Tricks to Treat Your Employees This Halloween

It’s scary how InfoMart’s employee engagement program – The House of IM – manages to up the excitement factor of our Halloween event every year. Here are the tips and tricks we’ve gleaned from years of putting on this popular event.

There’s No Hocus Pocus Here:
Theme Your Costumes

Witches and devils are forbidden. We don’t want any evil inside our building. InfoMart encourages employees to get into groups and dress up like our clients. This gives our workforce the opportunity to put their imaginations, creativity, and sense of humor on display. Some choose to take the challenge literally – like when an entire department, including men, donned pink dresses, wigs, and make up in recognition of Mary Kay – while others create an inspired, punny take on a client name.

Choose Wisely:
Select a Master of Ceremonies

We always have someone that guides the activities and adds fun and laughter to the party. Having a master of ceremonies is key for a successful event, as it improves engagement, keeps the event moving, and tasks an individual with thanking everyone who participated by name. Another tip: let the people who worked to plan and execute the event have the pleasure of announcing the winners.

Often, InfoMart’s Senior Vice President, Tim Gordon, takes up the microphone and dresses to match the overall theme of our party. In the past, he’s dressed as Rick Grimes from The Walking Dead, a Ringleader for our circus, Beetlejuice, and Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean. Tim entertains us with his impersonations and quick wit.

Put Your Team on Display:
Host a Costume Parade

Personal and professional development ties directly to your employee engagement. By empowering your employees to become more involved in the planning and execution of your charitable events, your company fosters skills in leadership, organization, strategy, financial management, public speaking, marketing, and more.

One of the most valuable results from a company-wide endeavor is the possibility of potentially fostering new interdepartmental communication. Working together toward a common goal – in this case, supporting breast cancer awareness – ultimately fosters friendships and relationships between your employees, which in turn strengthens your company.

It’s the Great Pumpkin, InfoMart:
Carving Contest

To set the mood leading up to our celebration, we always devise a departmental challenge. Last year, departments carved a pumpkin and brought it in. We set up tables down the corridors, and our employees lined their pumpkins up with the titles of their creations. We stacked voting slip nearby so everyone could vote on their favorites, and then we judged on three categories: best all-around, scariest, and most technically impressive. Each winner receives a $50 gift certificate and, of course, a signature House of IM poker chip for participation.

Get a Little Spooky:
Decorations are a Must

The best part of our Halloween celebration is the decorations, and the IM Celebration committee always uses Halloween as one of their premier events. Last year, they transformed the office with an Alice in Wonderland homage, including an entrance meant to look like attendees were falling down a rabbit hole. Every year, the team uses Pinterest and Oriental Trading Company to discover the most creative, affordable ways to decorate.

Every IM committee has an annual budget and they decide what to spend on each event. Because it’s so popular, IM Celebrating spends a hefty portion of their budget on the Halloween event. This the event that IM Celebrating eagerly anticipates creating each year.

This year, I’m not sure what I’ll be dressing up as. My best friend (and InfoMart’s CFO) always chooses our shared client costume because Halloween is her favorite holiday. She has curly red hair, so in the past we derived inspiration from Godiva Chocolatier and dressed like Lucy & Ethel and Raggedy Ann and Andy for Toys R Us. Since my daughter’s wedding is the weekend before Halloween, we may just dress up as “tired” for Simmons Bedding Company or “wedding planners” for NOLA Events and Promotions.

Looking for inspiration? Check out my Pinterest board for more Halloween ideas, then share them with me on Twitter at @ByTammyCohen.

About Tammy Cohen

Tammy Cohen, an industry pioneer and expert in identity and employment screening, founded InfoMart 30 years ago. Deemed the “Queen of Screen,” she’s been a force behind industry-leading innovations. She was most recently the first-to-market with a fully compliant sanctions search, as well as a suite of identity services that modernizes talent onboarding. Tammy revolutionized the screening industry when she stepped into the field, developing the first client-facing application and a due diligence criminal search that has since become standard for all background screening companies. Cohen has received national awards and honors for her business and civic involvement, including Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Top 25 Women-Owned Firms in Atlanta, Enterprising Women Magazine’s Enterprising Women of the Year award, the YWCA of Northwest Georgia’s Kathryn Woods Racial Justice Award, and a commendation in the 152nd Congressional Record. To learn more about Tammy, visit www.tammycohen.com.

About InfoMart

InfoMart has been revolutionizing the global background and identity screening industry for 30 years, providing businesses the information they need to make informed hiring decisions. They develop innovative technology that modernizes talent onboarding, including a first-to-market biometric identity authentication application and a verified sanctions search. The WBENC-certified company is a founding member of the Professional Background Screening Association, and they have achieved PBSA accreditation in recognition of their consistent business practices and commitment to compliance with the FCRA. The company is dedicated to customer service, speed, and accuracy, and it has been recognized for its success, workplace culture, and corporate citizenship with over 45 industry awards. To Get the Whole Story on InfoMart, please visit www.InfoMart-USA.com, follow @InfoMartUSA, or call (770) 984-2727.