A How-To Guide for Throwing a Summer Social for Your Employees

Your team of employees works hard every day, and without them, your business would not be able to function. This is why employers must take the time to show their appreciation to their staff members, whether that is offering them praise for a job well done, cash bonuses each year, employee discounts, or other perks of the job. Another way to give back to your team and say thank you is by organizing a fun social event for them to enjoy. If you want to treat your employees to a day out or evening where they can get together and have some fun, consider organizing a summer social for them this year. 

Here are a few ideas for a summer social that you might want to consider.

Finding a Suitable Venue

Finding the right venue for your employee summer social is important, but it will depend on the kind of event you’re putting on. For example, if you choose to have a family-friendly day with a BBQ and perhaps some fun games for the adults and kids to get involved with like tag and capture the flag with Gel Blaster, you’ll need somewhere that can offer you a big open space.

Some farmers might lease their unused fields for this, or some hotel venues might have big grassy areas they don’t mind you using for this kind of thing. Alternatively, if you’re having a more grown-up get-together with the kids left at home, perhaps hiring out a private room or terrace as at a trendy bar in the town center would be more suitable? 

Entertainment

Getting everyone together to have some casual conversation and enjoy each other’s company is great, but if you want to make your event feel more special, think about hiring some entertainment for your teams to enjoy. Live music is always a hit, and this would work well at both family-friendly socials and ones that are kid-free.

You could even hire a magician who again would impress both age groups, or a celebrity impersonator, a caricaturist, the list of possibilities goes on. You can use websites such as alivenetwork.com to find great entertainment options in the UK or a similar service that caters to your location.

Catering

It is a good idea to make sure that refreshments are served at this social, whether this is something that you cover the cost of as an employer or not. Speak to your venue about this as they might be able to offer you a deal on catering packages, or create a set menu for your group to choose from on the night. If you are doing an outdoor event, a BBQ as mentioned previously would be the perfect summery touch to your social event, or you could look at hiring food truck vendors if you want to offer your employees a variety of dishes to choose from. The latter would work particularly well if you were trying to create a carnival vibe for your summer social.

Send Out Invitations in Advance

It’s a good idea to reach out to your employees and let them know this summer social is being organized a few months in advance. You could also ask them to RSVP to the invitation, as this could give you a better indication of how many people to expect at the summer social and can help you plan for things like catering, etc.

You can send these invitations via email, or you could hand out flyers or put posters advertising the summer social in the office, or both!

Final Thought 

As the summer draws closer, consider planning a lovely summer social for your staff one weekend, where they can bring their family or friends and enjoy a day or evening of entertainment with you.