Everything You Need to Know About Worksgiving — Including What Exactly It Is

The office Thanksgiving potluck is a great time to catch up with coworkers, eat something better than your usual sad desk lunch, and watch your boss make awkward small talk with your business manager. What’s not to love about it? Some people love it so much, they’ve given it an adorable little pet name.

Here’s what you need to know about it and how to plan (or attend!) one successfully.

Worksgiving is exactly what it sounds like: It’s the Thanksgiving potluck party thrown at your office — often either right before the holiday or the Friday after, for working stiffs who don’t have the day off. While Friendsgiving has been a well-known holiday for several years now, Worksgiving is a newer term — but it’s nothing all that new in the grand scheme of things. Chances are, your office has been throwing a Thanksgiving potluck for years. That’s how you know that Rebecca in accounting can do magical things with green beans and that Stef in client solutions is not the best pie baker (but she gets an A for effort).

You know how much work it takes just to get a budget meeting on the calendar? Yes, planning an office Thanksgiving potluck isn’t going to be much easier. Luckily, we’ve got all sorts of pointers to help you make it happen. If you’re planning the office-wide event or reluctantly attending, these stories will come in handy.

• So, You’re Coordinating the Thanksgiving Potluck at Work? Here’s How to Make It Awesome (Not Annoying).
• An Office Manager on the One Thing Everyone Forgets for Office Potlucks
• 5 Tips for Commuting to Work with Your Thanksgiving Potluck Contribution
• Our Favorite Casserole Accessory for a Thanksgiving Potluck
• 5 Tips for Cleaning Up Worksgiving So Your Office Custodians Don’t Hate You

And just for fun: The Worst Potluck Horror Stories of All Time

Whether you’re trying to knock everyone’s socks off or you just want to make something quick and easy to transport, we’ve got you covered.

Your slow cooker is your number-one ally. In addition to those easy dinners you love so much, the slow cooker lends itself to a slew of make-ahead Thanksgiving sides and apps. And best of all, it means you have a handy way to bring your dish to work and keep it warm until the potluck festivities kick off. Just don’t forget the extension cord!

Read more: The Best Slow Cooker Recipes for an Office Thanksgiving Potluck

The best recipes for office potlucks hold up well when made in advance, are easy to transport, and ideally don’t need to be refrigerated or reheated. These recipes check all those boxes.

Get more ideas: The 15 Best Recipes for Office Thanksgiving Potluck

What are you making for this year’s Worksgiving? Do you have any smart tips we didn’t cover here?