How to Organize a Company Picnic

Company picnics are a great way to build employee morale. Many companies have their company picnics during the summer. Others prefer to wait until the fall though, as the weather turns cooler and the intense heat of summer is no longer a factor. Company picnics offer an opportunity for employees to socialize outside for the office while participating in contests, sports, and enjoy good food. Company picnics also foster interaction between employees at different levels of the corporate chain in a fun environment.

Things You'll Need

• Budget

Instructions

1. Organize a group of employees to help plan the company picnic. Even if the company is small, it is best to have several employees involved in planning the company picnic. This will allow for more input into the planning, and also reduce the chance of the majority of the workload falling on one or two people.

2. Choose a date for the company picnic. Find a date that you think will allow as many employees in the company as possible to attend. Keep in mind there probably won't be a date that will allow everyone to attend, so don't take too much time searching for that perfect date that might not exist. It's best to avoid choosing dates that are within a week of a federal holiday, as many employees plan vacations around those federal holidays.

3. Choose a location. If the company picnic is going to be held during work hours, it should be held at a location that is close to the office location. If it is held on a weekend, the location should be equal distant from the majority of employees to make it convenient. Make sure the location that is chosen has the amenities needed such as a covered dining area, space for games and activities and maybe a sports field or two. If you will be cooking your own food, make sure grilling is permitted at the location and equipment is available.

4. Decide if a caterer will be used to supply food or members of management will cook the food at the company picnic. This will help your company decide the budget for food. If using a caterer, make sure they know of all your needs. This could include items including sides, condiments, water, alcoholic beverages and snacks. If you are preparing the food yourself, make sure all of these items are purchased for the company picnic. Set a budget for purchases in that case and divide the shopping among several people.

5. Choose activities that will be held at the company picnic. Popular activities for company picnics including sports such as softball and volleyball. Many companies also choose to have team building games such as relay races. Other events are just for entertainment such as having the CEO or top executive of the company in a dunk tank.

6. Choose set up and clean up teams from the company for the company picnic. If a caterer is being used, they will do some of this work, but it's unlikely they will do all of the work. It's best to have these assignments set up ahead of time instead of looking for volunteers the day of the event.

Tips & Warnings

• The most important thing about planning a company picnic is to make sure it gives everyone the opportunity to have fun.

• If serving alcohol at the company picnic, you should figure out a way to monitor the consumption of alcohol. Many companies do this using drink tickets, limiting employees to a specific number of alcoholic drinks during the company picnic. If you do this, make sure employees do not bring their own alcohol.