Office Planning for the Year Ahead

There’s both anticipation and anxiety at the beginning of January when you’re staring down twelve months of an empty calendar. But this month brings a pressing need to plan for the year ahead: holiday schedules, quarterly goals, and annual budgets are all being finalized this month.

Chances are your team is asking for the 2020 office schedule while your finance department is requesting your annual budget—but there’s no need to start from scratch or hurriedly copy last year’s plans. To save you time, we’ve done some of the work for you.

Below we’ve outlined national holidays, cultural celebrations, and fun awareness days (think tacos and pizza) each month so you can get a jump on planning for the year ahead. This calendar will ensure you’re aware of any potential market closures and have a plan for bike storage on National Bike to Work Day.

So you don’t have to stress about unexpected costs, we’ve also included seasonal reminders for office cleaning and maintenance, as well as when to prepare for major events like the company holiday party.

January

Tuesday, January 7: Clean Off Your Desk Day
Hold a friendly competition where the cleanest department in your office wins free lunch.

Monday, January 20 Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Remind your team about any office closures.

Saturday, January 25: Lunar New Year
For those born in Year of the Rat, they will be blessed with good fortune! 

February

In addition to being Black History Month, February is full of celebrations. Make your event plan and order your catering early.

Sunday February, 2: Super Bowl
Order coffee and doughnuts for Monday morning in case your team needs a little extra pick me up after the big game.

Sunday, February 9: Pizza Day
Surprise your team by catering lunch on Friday. Or get creative and invite your team to make their own English Muffin pizzas for an afternoon snack. 

Friday, February 14: Valentine’s Day
Organize a Valentine’s bake off or order sweet treats for your team.

Monday, February 17: President’s Day
Let your colleagues know if your office open on Presidents’ Day. If it is, order breakfast for your team since they don’t get to sleep in.

Tuesday, February 25: Mardi Gras
Why not throw a cajun celebration for the whole office?

Saturday, February 29: Leap Day
Don't forget that 2020 is a leap year!

March

Sunday, March 1: Employee Appreciation Day
Plan a special surprise or awards ceremony for your team.

Sunday, March 8: Daylight Savings
Time to spring ahead! Remind your team about the time change on Friday and brew the coffee extra strong on Monday morning.

Saturday, March 14: Pi Day (3.1459265…)
Order pizza or pies to celebrate the favorite holiday of the mathematically inclined.

Tuesday, March 17: St. Patrick’s Day
If you decide to host a happy hour on Friday, Managed by Q can help with set up and more importantly—clean up.

Tuesday, March 17: March Madness Begins
Book a few conference rooms for viewing parties to save your wireless bandwidth.

Thursday, March 19: First Day of Spring
Time to come out of hibernation. Get a jump on your spring cleaning list and download our Complete Guide to a Clean Office.

April

Wednesday, April 8: Passover begins
Check in with your team about their schedule over the holiday.

Friday, April 10: Good Friday 

Sunday, April 12: Easter Sunday

Wednesday, April 15: Tax Day
The looming tax deadline may be adding to team stress. Surprise your office with chair massages.

April 20 to 24: Office Manager Appreciation Week
Get ready—this week Q will be celebrating the work you do all year.

Wednesday, April 22: Administrative Professionals Day
It’s your day! From conference room mediation to dealing with plumbing emergencies, the office would be in real chaos without you. Thanks for all that you do.

Thursday, April 23: Take Your Kids to Work Day
Let your team know if you have anything special planned for your youngest visitors and consider how you can create a family-friendly workplace all year long. 

Tuesday, April 23: Start of Ramadan
The month of Ramadan begins in the United States.

May

Tuesday, May 5: Cinco de Mayo
Throw a special happy hour with nachos and margaritas. (Add limes and salt to your grocery order.)

Sunday, May 10: Mother’s Day

Friday, May 15: Bike to Work Day
Encourage your team to bike to work and read up on our advice for creating a bike-friendly office. Q can help you install office bike racks to get ready for the season. 

Saturday, May 23: End of Ramadan, Start of Eid al-Fitr

Monday, May 25: Memorial Day
Remind your team about any office closures and get ready for the start of summer.

Does your office have summer Fridays or early release days? Let your team know about any special summer schedule and perks.

June

It’s Pride month! Local celebrations vary, but you can plan your own office event to celebrate your LGBTQ community or make a plan to participate in events happening in your city.

Sunday, June 7: Donut Day
Delight your team on Friday morning with fresh donuts.

Saturday, June 20: First Day of Summer
Take time time off and use your hard-earned vacation days! The responsibilities of running an office never end, but Managed by Q can provide local vetted service providers for short-term staffing and hourly support while you're out of the office.

Sunday, June 21: Father’s Day

Friday, June 26: Take Your Dog to Work Day
Time to puppy proof your space. Here’s our tips for making sure your space is people and pet friendly.

July

Summer is a busy season for office moves. If you are planning an office move this summer check out our Office Moves Made Easy guide to make sure you’re prepared.

Saturday, July 4: Happy Fourth of July!
Enjoy the holiday week with family, friends, and food. Make sure your work from home policy has been distributed, as this is popular time to take a few extra days out of the office.

Tuesday, July 21: Ice Cream Day
Celebrate with make your own sundaes on Friday or Monday.

Thursday, July 30: Eid al-Adha 

August

Start planning for the winter holidays
It may be summer, but advance planning gives you a better chance of securing your ideal holiday party date, venue, top vendor choices, and lower rates. We’ve put together company party planning tips and a timeline for you.

Quiet office?
Take advantage of employees taking time off to take care of tasks like deep cleaning the couches, touching up paint, or other big projects on your list.

September

Monday, September 7: Labor Day
Enjoy your time out of the office!

Tuesday, September 22: First Day of Fall
Make sure you’re ready for cooler weather ahead—clean your vents and have your HVAC systems inspected.

October

Thursday, October 1: Coffee Day
Celebrate on with an office coffee tasting.

Sunday, October 4: Taco Day
Treat your team to a lunchtime taco bar. At Managed by Q, it’s tradition to order Taco Bell for all of our offices.

Monday, October 12: Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples' Day
Let your team know about any office closures.

Friday, October 16: Boss’ Day
Show your leaders some love and help organize department gifts and appreciation.

Friday, October 31: Happy Halloween!
Be sure to let your team know in advance if they should wear a costume to work.

November

Reminder: Finalize your holiday party plans
Schedules fill up fast during the holiday season. Time to finalize the details of your party and send out a save the date to your team. Here's our advice for to ensure your celebrations are welcoming to everyone on your team.

Sunday, November 1: Daylight Savings Time Ends
Time to fall back! Remind your colleagues about the time change on Friday.

Wednesday, November 11: Veterans’ Day 
Let your team know about any office closures and take time to honor your team members who have served.

Thursday, November 26: Thanksgiving
Plan an office potluck on Monday to celebrate the season together. We've put together a guide to creating the perfect team meal.

Friday, November 27: Black Friday
Be sure to let your team know if your office is closed on Friday or, if you’re in retail, if you have longer hours.

December

Reminder: Deck the halls!
Be sure to get your office decorations hung up before the season gets underway. Need a ladder or an extra pair of hands? Managed by Q can help!

Friday, December 4: Cookie Day
Treat your colleagues to an assortment of cookies to celebrate National Cookie Day. ‘Tis the season!

Monday, December 21: First Day of Winter
If you’re in a colder part of the country, schedule carpet and floor cleaning to remove signs of boot weather so far this winter.

Office closed next week?
Managed by Q can help with any trash hauling or end-of-year cleaning, even while you're away.

Thursday, December 10: Start of Hanukkah

Monday, December 18: End of Hanukkah

Friday, December 25: Christmas Day
Happy Holidays! Enjoy the quiet week and have a relaxing and happy new year.

Thursday, December 31: New Year’s Eve

Advance planning enables you to let your colleagues know what to look forward to when it comes to celebrations and team activities. This also frees you up to think about what matters to you and your team, whether it’s growing your company culture or tackling a high-impact project like an office renovation.

Here’s to a great, and organized, 2020 from Managed by Q.