Tired of planning the same in-office employee appreciation events for your company month after month? Throwing the event during an outdoor picnic is a fun alternative that gives employees a break from the traditional workplace setting. Even if it’s located right outside the office, an employee appreciation picnic is simple but memorable activity that all workers are sure to love. For some tips on how to throw an employee appreciation picnic, keep reading.

Appreciation Lineup

If you’re going to hand out awards, trophies or any other type of appreciation gift to employees at the picnic, you should create a well-detailed plan for doing so. Perhaps you could have a short speech towards the end of the picnic where you can ask employees down to acknowledge and reward them for their exceptional hard work, or maybe you want to an informal approach by walking around and personally thanking your employees face to face.

Note: depending on the size of the picnic, and number of employees who attend, you may need a podium, microphone and speaker system setup. Without one, you’ll have to scream across the picnic and hope that all of your employees can hear.

Food and Beverages

No employee appreciation picnic is complete without food and beverages. Companies don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on expensive full-meal catering services, but they should offer some basic snacks and beverages for attending employees. Sandwich bites, pigs-in-a-blanket, chips, pretzels, fruit, vegetables, and baked sweets are just a couple of great snack ideas.  It may even be a good idea to ask employees to each bring a dish and make it a potluck picnic.

As far as beverages go, companies can pick up several different types of soda (both regular and diet) along with a pack of disposable cups and a cooler filled with ice. It’s usually best to refrain from serving alcohol at employee appreciation events. Wine and beer is perfectly fine for after-hours Christmas parties, but it can lead to some issues when employees are forced to go back to work after a mid-day picnic.

Entertainment Ideas

• Softball game
• Kickball game
• Horse shoes
• Bean bag toss
• Karaoke
• Live music

Hopefully, this will give you a better idea on how to plan your next employee appreciation picnic. It’s a fun alternative to the traditional in-office events, allowing employees to get outside and enjoy a short bout of fun in the sun.