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As you enter the working world, you will more often than not spend your birthday at the office. Sure, it will fall on a weekend now and again, and yes, you could take the weekday ones off, but unless you are able to convince your friends to use one of their precious vacation days on you, you’d likely be spending your day off alone, which is just a sad way to spend your b-day. So odds are, post-college, a majority of your birthdays will be spent occupying your cubicle reading the “Happy Birthday!” Facebook posts from people you haven’t actually seen in seven years. But the real question is: do you let your co-workers know it’s your big day?
There are two schools of thought here. First, there are some people who don’t want their birthday acknowledged by their co-workers, period. The idea of celebrating with their fellow office dwellers is more depressing then not celebrating at all, so they try and keep their DOB under wraps. I do not understand those people, because my birthday is my favorite day of the year, and I want everyone I come in contact with to know it. So I, therefore, fall into the other camp: office birthday celebrators. I actually love birthdays (both mine and other peoples’) so much that I convinced our office manager to put out a weekly list of office birthdays. When my birthday rolls around **cough**next Monday**cough**, I don’t have to make sure my co-workers know about it – it’s on a sign in the kitchen.
But what are you to do if your office doesn’t have such a sign and you want people to know it’s your birthday without actually just coming out and saying it? Well, here are a few ideas.
Send yourself birthday flowers.
Everyone always asks why you got flowers. Go with the additional “Happy Birthday” mylar balloon if you want everyone to know what day it is, but not deal with the questions.
Bring in the cards from your family birthday party.
No, you don’t care that your Nana wrote about how proud she is of you. You just want people to see them and know it’s your birthday.
“Accidentally” put a “My Birthday!!!!!!!” entry in your team’s shared calendar and then send an email apologizing/ saying you meant to put it in your own.
Technology is sooooo confusing (wink wink).
Go with your co-workers to Starbucks and make sure they overhear you claiming your free birthday drink.
A free skinny vanilla mocha AND letting everyone know it’s your birthday? Double score!
Put your phone receiver to your ear and loudly say “Thanks for remembering to call me on my birthday, Grandma!” to the dial tone.
No one likes a loud phone talker in the office, but it’s totally acceptable when “speaking” to grandparents.
Sneak in early, decorate your desk with birthday paraphernalia, and then pretend you have no idea who did it.
This makes sure everyone knows it’s your birthday while also making them feel like an ass because they aren’t the “one” who remembered. The guilt may even get you a free lunch.
Bring in cookies/cupcakes to celebrate and when someone asks why, say “I just wanted to celebrate my birthday with all of you!”
Hey, you brought in your own stuff to school to celebrate your b-day in 2nd grade. What’s wrong with doing it at the office? Work is pretty much like elementary school, except there’s no recess.
Set your internal out of office message to read, “I am in the office today; however, it’s my birthday. So if your email doesn’t start with “Happy Birthday!” I won’t be answering it until tomorrow. Thanks!”
Best only used if your officemates have a sense of humor and/or you were looking to celebrate your b-day by getting fired.
Friend all of your co-workers on Facebook.
Hey, it’s the reason you know all of your cousins’ birthdays, isn’t it?.
Image via Shutterstock
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Jenna Crowley
Jenna used to be known as 2NOTBrokeGirls, but then one of the girls actually went broke, so she's struck out on her own. Jenna spends her free time saving the world, one sorority girl at a time (usually while wearing yoga pants), questioning why she decided to get a doctorate, documenting her love of all things cheese related, and hosting the new PGP podcast Don't Take It From Us. You can ask her anything you want about football, using your boobs to get what you want, and pizza at @JennaLCrowley on Twitter or via email at JennaLCrowley@gmail.com.
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There’s nothing I desire less than having my co-workers know when my birthday is.
Yeah hard pass. One of the goals of everyday office work is to avoid interaction with your coworkers as much as possible. You should arrange face to face conversation only when absolutely necessary.
Already have PTO and a massage scheduled for my birthday.
Do the Michael Scott method and wish someone else happy birthday, when they say it’s not theirs, say “oh I must’ve been thinking of me”.
11. Write an article about it and “accidentally” share it with the office instead of your parents and grandparents. Also happy early birthday.
Exactly. And thank you!
My office manager put a sign outside my office saying it was my birthday. I wanted to light the damn thing on fire.
My standard answer to the “when’s your birthday?” question is always “oh, it was a few weeks ago.” I once said this on my birthday.