Want to hear some spooky stats on employment? According to Gallup, only 23% of the world’s employees are engaged at work, while 44% report being very stressed at work and 51% have the intention of leaving their jobs in the near future.
Based on these numbers, we’re going to hazard a guess and assume that, even if you love your industry, you spend a lot of the time feeling disengaged or unhappy at the office. The good news is that you can temporarily increase your excitement with Halloween decorations! (Tried and tested by yours truly — but please do reconsider your options for more long-term career satisfaction the moment those decorations come down.)
So, let’s get into it. Here are some of the best Halloween decoration ideas for the office so you can get your space looking fa-BOO-lous in no time.
Halloween decorations for the office
Whether you’re decorating the entire floor in a joint effort with your coworkers or taking it upon yourself to spook everyone by transforming your cubicle, here are 20 ideas to draw inspiration from.
1. Floating broomsticks
You’ll need some tape, invisible thread and a few broomsticks to create this eerie scene! It’s not only unexpected and easy to set up, but it’s also great for when you’re on a budget. If you can pair it up with some fake cobwebs, skulls, ravens or spiders, even better.
2. Spooky-cute kitchen décor
So, your grumpy boss might not be the biggest fan of Halloween, or festivities in general. Bringing in a few ghost-shaped mugs or bowls for the kitchen and putting up a “coffee spell” sign like the one here can be a great way to compromise with them.
3. Hanging witch hats
Similar to the floating broomsticks idea, hanging witch hats from the ceiling can be a really fun way to get your coworkers in a spook-tastic mood. You’ll only need some invisible thread and clear tape or hooks!
4. Bathroom visitor
Every office has that one person who seems to take perpetual visits to the washroom. Well, why not draw inspiration from said social-media-addicted person and create a funny bathroom scene? All you’ll need are a life-size skeleton decoration, some toilet roll and (optionally) some additional props here and there.
5. Hanging skeleton
Are you one of us mere mortals that work in open-plan workplaces, or do you have your own private office space with an actual door? If the first applies to you, consider hanging up a skeleton at the main entrance or off one of the windows. If the second applies to you, please use your space wisely!
6. Vintage bookcase décor
Maybe you and your team aren’t big fans of skulls, cobwebs and basketball-sized spider props. Maybe you want to celebrate Halloween a little more subtly. Why not dedicate a bookcase or some wall shelves to a combination of bright Halloween decorations and classic horror books?
7. Meeting room pumpkin patch
Kids Posh Parties via Pinterest
This idea is for teams who aren’t afraid of going a little over the top. If your boss has given you the green light to decorate the conference room, make the most of it! We’re talking black-and-orange everything: from garlands and trick-or-treat buckets to skeletons, spiders and even your own mini pumpkin patch.
8. Spider archway
We’ve all seen wedding arches, decorated from top to bottom in vivid flowers and blossoms. Well, why not craft a simple spider-ridden arch for your open-plan office? It will make your visits to the watercooler and your work BFF’s cubicle about a million times better!
9. Haunted house: Monitor edition
If your work crush hasn’t noticed you yet, they certainly will if you pull something like this off. It’s creative and easy to make, and it will take up no room on your desk. (But do sort out that massive pile of documents you’ve got to your right. It’s becoming a little embarrassing.)
10. Just hanging out
You know, you could get really creative with those boring ceiling panels above your head. All you’ll need to recreate what you see in this picture are some jeans stuffed with cotton balls or bits of old fabric, a pair of shoes, and some of that trusty invisible thread.
11. Investigation scene
So, work criminally bores you to death sometimes. You can draw inspiration from that and create a murder scene in one of your rooms or corridors! Some duct tape for outlining a body, a few number cards and some barrier tape are all it takes.
12. Cobwebs, garlands and… a hand
Wouldn’t it be swell if someone else could do the typing for you, and you could go grab a G&T at the bar on the corner instead? A disembodied hand decoration could be code for that. An inside joke of your own!
13. Bathroom crime scene
A bit of fake blood, a Scream mask and some barrier tape can utterly transform the bathroom. If you’ve got an LED lamp that changes color, try a blue or red hue for extra spook points.
14. Haunted cubicle
Boo! It’s the ghost of your deadlines past living in the confines of monitor mansion.
Cutting some ghost and bat shapes out of felt, and pasting them around your desk is an easy, cost-efficient way to decorate your workspace for Halloween!
15. Needs more cobwebs
Another idea for the office entrance! Have a giant tarantula prop sit right above the doorway, and watch your coworkers squirm as they walk beneath it. Some skulls, cobwebs, pumpkins and lanterns leading up the path or corridor to the door can make for a nice touch, too.
16. A tad over the top
Is “being a Halloween enthusiast” enough to get you hired anywhere? Judging by this image, the answer is that it might be! The team here went a bit over the top with their indoor decorating. There are several different kinds of pumpkin decorations, scary-looking bits of fabric hanging from the ceiling, posters, decals, ornaments… We can’t even count them all.
17. Sweet and simple
If you’ve procrastinated buying your office decorations for Halloween as much as getting started on that financial report, then you’re probably in need of an easy solution. Paper garlands are a great way to add some color to your cubicle. Make your own by printing a few different images (or designing some, if you’re the artistic type).
18. Fake blood galore
Okay, so most of us want to scream for help whenever we take a better look at our to-do list. Why not make a half-joke about it and cover your cubicle in bloody letter decals and handprints? Add some cobwebs, skeletons and tombstones (RIP, motivation — am I right?) for the full effect.
19. New intern
Hey, check out this new intern waiting for someone to give them attention! No, but seriously: if you’re running out of time and can’t come up with anything too creative, a good ol’ skeleton sitting at your desk should do the trick. Pair with some DIY signs, spiderwebs and other props to make your cubicle come alive. Or should we say dead?
20. Halloween cave
If you’ve got a cubicle, then you must at least consider decorating it like so! Put up some dark fabrics over it, and turn your space into a spooky cave. If you’re lucky, some red LED lights along with other props, like bones and spiders, can spook your obnoxious colleagues and keep them at bay.
Tips for decorating the office for Halloween
The following five tips can help you ensure that putting up decorations in the office (as well as taking them down!) goes smoothly.
1. Set a budget
Deciding on a budget that everyone feels comfortable with is important if you want to ensure that everyone feels included. Ask your team members what amount of money they feel comfortable sparing, and decide whether the props you get will remain at the office afterwards or if people can take home what they buy.
Of course, if you’re organizing a party as well, you might need people to bake, cook or prepare Halloween-inspired cocktails. Again, ask who wants to be in charge of what.
2. Choose a theme
Maybe you want to put up decorations while keeping your premises from looking messy or tacky. (Let’s be honest: as fun as some of the ideas above might be, throwing together dozens of different types of props can end up making your space look a little unprofessional.)
Having a theme — for example, “witch stuff only” — can ensure uniformity across your spaces.
3. Set some guidelines
Maybe Debbie from the accounting department has an extreme fear of spiders. While it might be tempting to prank her by putting them everywhere, it would be more respectful to avoid them altogether.
What we’re trying to get at here is that, in order for decorating to be fun for everyone, you need to be mindful of your choices. The best way to do this is to ask if there’s anything people object to!
4. Involve everyone
When brainstorming ideas for how to best decorate your space, ask everyone for their thoughts so that no one on the team feels excluded. Yes, that also includes Todd from the IT department who seems to be severely allergic to silliness. Deep down, he might be excited about Halloween and too embarrassed to admit.
5. View it as a team-building activity
Decorating together can be a fun way for colleagues to bond. Ask people for ideas and see who’s interested in crafting, shopping or planning. Then allocate roles so that everyone knows what they’re doing.
How to decorate the office for Halloween on a budget
Decorating your workspace for Halloween doesn’t have to be expensive. There are many ways to produce exciting results on a budget! Let’s look at five below.
1. Do some more research
In this article, we looked at 20 office decor ideas for Halloween, many of which can be replicated for a small amount of money. However, the internet is full of ideas like these, so if you keep on searching, you’re bound to find more that can be replicated on a budget.
2. Use your imagination
Asking your team to brainstorm different ideas in addition to doing a bit of research can be another good way of finding cost-effective solutions for your Halloween needs. Put your creative thinking skills to the test, look for everyday objects that could double as props, and consider what things could be crafted out of affordable materials. It will be quite a fun problem to solve (for a change!).
3. Utilize everyday objects
Working in an office means you’re probably surrounded by paper clips, staplers, sheets of paper, envelopes and all sorts of stationery. Why not try and view these objects as potential Halloween decor materials?
For example, any paper bags you have lying around could function as lanterns if you placed tealights inside them. You could then use these to decorate the path to your entrance! Or unused bits of cardboard could be cut into bat or Jack-o’-lantern shapes. Small lengths of string could be used to weave your own spider web decorations, and so on.
4. Make your own props
When you’re on a budget, DIY always comes to the rescue! If your team is willing to put more time and effort into decorating your office space, you could divide everyone into pairs or groups and have them craft props out of cardboard, glue and paints. Like life-size skeletons made from cardboard and brass fasteners, for example, or the walls of a haunted castle out of MDF and spray paints!
5. Use what’s already available
Maybe someone on the team has an older child who used to be obsessed with Halloween as a kid. That means they could have a trove of Halloween props and decorations lying around in their basement. Or maybe someone on the team suffers from a severe Halloween craze themselves! In any case, ask people to bring to the office whatever they have at home that they’re willing to (temporarily) part with.
Final thoughts
Decorating the office for Halloween or another occasion can be a great opportunity to put your teamwork, creative thinking and problem-solving ability to the test as a team! So can organizing a Halloween party. (If you have one coming up, we’ve got plenty of ideas for work-friendly costumes to share with you!)
No matter how you choose to celebrate Halloween this year, it’s good to be mindful of the cultural differences among your team members and to choose costumes and props that steer clear from religious and cultural stereotypes. We’re in 2024 after all; promoting cultural literacy and awareness should be a priority so that everyone feels embraced and accepted, as they deserve.
Have you come across any more interesting Halloween décor ideas? Share them with us in the comments section below!