While Valentine’s day is celebrated worldwide, one might wonder how it can be celebrated in a workspace with your colleagues.

For us, February can also be the perfect month to celebrate teamwork and collaboration. A ‘Team Appreciation Week’, for example, could promote a positive and encouraging environment for the employees to make them feel valued and recognize their efforts.

Valentine’s week is the perfect time to exercise team-building activities – Activities that encourage your team to collaborate and make connections. Before you rule the day off your office calendar, here are a few ideas to make Valentine’s week a special one for your co-workers:

• A great way to begin the week is to elevate your workspace. A little decor for the celebration can make the office look more inviting and lift everyone’s mood. Let the team get creative with ideas, or have a decorating station with DIY supplies so everyone can create something fun.
• The best way to start the celebration is with some morning cheer. Gather your team for a quick cup of coffee, share a few words of appreciation for their work and dedication, you can also go the extra mile and share a few goody bags or a tiny plant to brighten their space.
• Sharing a meal creates a friendly bond and helps break the ice as well. Activities like organizing potlucks, bringing some homemade snacks, and sharing them with your colleagues are some of the easiest ways to connect with them on this special occasion.
• A ‘Wall Of Appreciation’ would also bring a smile to your teammate’s face. Assigning a board dedicated for everybody to pin a note of appreciation for their co-workers can be a fun activity, and worth cherishing for a lifetime.
• One should also try exchanging small tokens of appreciation with their colleagues, like cards and flowers, to thank them for all their cooperation and guidance.
• When it comes to team appreciation, the smallest of efforts can make a big difference. Valentine’s Day can be a wonderful team-building experience. Since we spend long hours with our colleagues in the workspace, we tend to not notice their contribution to our professional development. Valentine’s week can be the time to nurture platonic connections and be grateful for the opportunity to work with great talents.

In most cases, Valentine’s Day can be tricky for HR to maintain the professional sanctity of the workspace. It would be a good idea to keep the celebration unanimous to make sure everybody in the team feels included and comfortable celebrating the day. It’s always great to thank your fellow teammates and let them know how much you appreciate their work.

Hope we were able to garner excitement and create new traditions for the modern workspace of the future to celebrate the upcoming week of love with our co-workers.