As I started my clown make-up at 4:30 this morning, I fully expected to be the ONLY person at Townsquare Media Boise to dress up for Halloween today.  One of my personal mottos is "life is more fun in costume" so of course I took advantage of working in an office that allows its employees to play dress up! 

So at least out of the morning show personalities at our little radio ranch, I'm one of two people who dressed up today and I'm shamelessly owning it.  Maybe you've just gotten out of the shower and you're wondering if you should participate in your office's costume contest.  I say go for it and so does science!

According to a new O.C. Tanner survey, about 45% of offices let and encourage their employees to dress up for Halloween.  A deeper look into the survey responses showed that employees who dressed up were prouder to tell people where they worked and were more engaged in contributing to the success of their company.

If you do choose to dress up, US News offers these tips for keeping those costumes work place appropriate!

Make Sure the Costume Makes Sense for What You Do

I'll be honest, if the station was part of another Trunk or Treat this evening, I probably wouldn't have worn my scary clown costume.  I'd opt for something a little more family friendly like my Yoshi or Alice in Wonderland costume.  I love my ladies that listen to the show over at St. Luke's so I'll use them as an example.  If they're about to give a family a not so awesome update about their loved one's medical condition, they probably don't want to be dressed up as Elsa or Anna from Frozen.

Also think about the type of work you do.  My friend Chris is an architect at Babcock Design in Downtown Boise and he spends a lot of time working on building drawings on a computer.  His "Left Shark" costume is one of my favorites, but it probably doesn't make for a great costume to be working a mouse or keyboard with.  You need fingers for that, not flippers.

It's Ok to Go Low Key

This is actually the first year I went over the top with a work costume.  In the past, I've thrown on a tutu, leggings and a pair of butterfly wings from an old costume. If you're trying to think of something last minute, there's nothing wrong with picking the nicest professional outfit in your closet, throwing it on and calling yourself Olivia Pope or anyone from OPA. The Walgreens at Parkcenter and Apple has all of their Halloween stuff at almost 70% off.  You could always swing by there and get a pair of fangs or kitty ears.

Keep it Work Appropriate

Work's not the place to be showing off your assets. If you think for a second that your costume is showing too much skin, it probably is...throw another layer on underneath it.  Be considerate of your co-workers too.  Some of them might not find your Native American, Mexican or geisha costumes culturally sensitive.

Don't Shame Those Who Don't Dress Up

One of my co-workers has chuckled every time I've walked past him this morning.  He spent five and a half years on the other side of the desk from me and admitted had I not dressed up, he would've been let down.  It's just who I am! The said, not all of my co-workers are into Halloween as much as I am and I'm not going to harp on them for it.  They may have a good reason for not dressing up and I'm cool with that.  Be nice to your less festive co-workers today.

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