Choose an office party theme coworkers won’t dread
Office party themes are a minefield: a costume theme feels like homework to some coworkers, and a plain mixer bores everyone else. Nobody wants to say so in front of the boss. Share a Rankd in Slack or Teams and let the office rank the themes privately. Plan the theme with the best overall ranking, and post the result card when someone asks who picked it.
- Casino night
- ’70s disco
- Tacky holiday sweaters
- Hollywood red carpet
- Board game lounge
- Winter wonderland
Free. Edit the options, then send one link to your group.
Why ranking beats a regular poll here
- Coworkers can rank the costume-heavy theme last without looking like a bad sport.
- The result card shows the theme was the team’s choice, not the planner’s.
- Remote staff rank from the same link, so the theme isn’t picked by whoever was in the office that day.
How it works
- Add the question and 3 to 30 options
- Send one private link to the group
- Everyone ranks privately, in about a minute
- You reveal the winner
Tips
- Note how much dressing up each theme needs, like “Casino night (cocktail attire optional).”
- Keep themes inclusive for coworkers who don’t celebrate the same holidays.
- Set it to reveal automatically at a set time so it doesn’t stall in someone’s inbox.
Questions
Should managers rank too?
Yes. Rankings are private, so a manager’s ranking counts the same as anyone else’s and nobody sees who ranked what.
Can people see how I ranked?
No. Each person’s order stays private. Everyone sees the group’s final order and where they personally landed, never anyone else’s individual ranking.
Is it free? Does everyone need the app?
Rankd is free and runs in the browser, so there is nothing to download. Friends open the link from any group chat (iMessage, WhatsApp, Slack, email) and rank in about a minute.