One of the difficulties that many people encounter when trying to throw a great office party is that each and every office party has its own unique set of rules.  No matter whether the event is to celebrate an office birthday or another personal milestone for one of the employees, or whether is just a run of the mill annual office holiday party to celebrate the winter holiday season, there is a set of requirements and restrictions that governs every workplace party.  The fact that every office party has at least some restrictions can lead to feelings of frustration when you want to plan something that doesn't fall under the guidelines of what is appropriate.  However, despite the fact that any office party must follow a certain set of rules, you can still manage to have a great party where everyone who attends has a fun and enjoyable evening.

The key to having a great party at your workplace while still respecting the rules that govern all office events is to work within those boundaries to create a great atmosphere.  Indeed, it is very possible to have a great time despite the fact that any office party you throw will be subject to the rules set by your boss and by the company that you are employed by.  Even if you are feeling frustrated by the fact that your office party has to conform to regulations about alcoholic beverages, respecting office property, and other rules of that type, there is no need to give up hope.  With a little bit of creative thinking, you and your fellow office party planners should be able to transcend your office party is subject to these kinds of limitations.  In fact, if you can work within these rules productively, it is quite possible to create a party that everybody will remember fondly for months to come.

The first part of getting past the fact that your office party will have to follow these rules is accepting the fact that you will have to work cooperatively with your employer to create an event that falls within the boundaries of what is acceptable in a workplace but still retains elements of fun and novelty that will delight your co-workers.  Once you stop fighting the fact that your office party will have to conform to a workplace code of behavior, you can start putting your energy into finding ways to have fun despite these sometimes stringent guidelines.

The biggest hurdle you are likely to face when planning an office holiday party or an office birthday party is the fact that most workplaces have strict guidelines prohibiting the consumption of alcoholic beverages on the premises.  Most employers feel that allowing employees to become intoxicated at an office party has the potential to be very dangerous, and can even lead to hostile or tense situations between employees who become belligerent when they consume alcohol.  Some party planners try to sneak alcohol into the plans for an office party, but more often than not this kind of underhanded tactic leads to trouble for everybody involved.  Luckily, there are plenty of ways to have fun at an office party without making beer or liquor a part of the event.

To compensate for the lack of alcoholic drinks, you will probably need to put some effort into planning some fun activities and party games.  If you are able to provide a full enough schedule of games, these activities will keep everybody so busy and engaged in what they are doing that they will not even notice the lack of alcohol at your office party.  Consider planning a few icebreaker games to play at the start of your office party to help get everybody into a party mood.  Then, try a fun team activity like a scavenger hunt around the office.  This kind of enjoyable and engaging game can help co-workers bond and forge lasting friendships, and the positive atmosphere that they will give your office party will ensure that everybody who attends has a great time.