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1. New to your company?
Check to make sure you know what the proper protocol is for Halloween. Your last job may have been a House of Horrors on Halloween with tons of participation but that may not be the case or policy of your current office. Check with your boss or a human resource representative to see what the guidelines are for the spooky holiday!
2. Check yourself at the door – your house door that is!
Yes, Halloween is fun and a time to slip back into being a kid and dress up as something different from your daily life. But, this is not the time to let self-expression turn into your co-workers drooling as you walk by their desk. Make sure the costume you choose is not too revealing, too short, or too tight. It is amazing what results you get if you Google Minion costume. You won’t just find a loveable yellow costume mask with blue overalls. They do in fact sell a “sexy” minion costume. Have you seen the Minion movie or Despicable Me? Those guys may be hilarious but sexy they are not. So just make sure that whatever costume you choose for Halloween at work, it still fits within the dress code of a normal day.
3. Can you move or be taken seriously?
You’ve picked your costume and it’s definitely not too revealing or too tight, but will you be able to move around and complete your day to day tasks? Will your 10:00 am client meeting be able to concentrate on what you are saying rather than staring at you dressed as a T-Rex? Make sure you are able to move around comfortably in your work costume and it’s not too obtrusive. Also, I really wouldn’t recommend face paint. It may be too distracting for co-workers and it will be hard for you to talk on the phone or eat. It is also likely that it will become very itchy throughout the day. You can still have a fun and spirited Halloween at work without affecting your work day, colleagues, or clients.
4. Stay away from the clowns!
One important rule for any costume is to make sure it is not offensive to anyone. If you find yourself questioning whether or not it is offensive then it is best not to wear it to work. Stay away from costumes that are religious, political, or costumes that could be viewed as racist. Even though you and your friends find it humorous Betsy in accounting may find it appalling and could file a formal complaint against you.
This year is probably a good year to stay away from dressing like a clown. If you are not familiar with the “scary clowns” threatening schools and college campuses around the country this would be a good time to listen up. There have been multiple threats made via social media from people dressed up in scary clown costumes threatening to seriously harm people, mainly schools. There have been actual sightings and many copy cats playing pranks and it has the nation frightened and on high alert. So if this was the year you were planning on clowning around, I suggest you hold off until next year!
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