5 Virtual Office Celebration Ideas This Holiday Season

by Srikant Chellappa Dec 24,2020
Engagedly
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with Srikant Chellappa, CEO

The year 2020 is coming to an end, and it is time for office parties. This year has not turned out exactly how everyone had wished. It has been a year of uncertainty and unprecedented changes with the presence of COVID19. Businesses changed the way they work, and employees shifted to working remotely. While the year may not have been as everyone expected, it can surely end on a high note.

A typical office party, unlike last year, may not be on the cards this time. But thanks to technology, organizations can still conduct a virtual office party. It helps employees to reduce their stress, reduce disengagement, and start the new year with zeal. Moreover, it will also help your employees know that you appreciate them and want them to stay with your organization.

Also Read: 5 Reasons Why You Need A Performance Management Software

Here are five simple virtual celebration ideas for this holiday season that will help your team bond remotely.

A Meet With Close Ones

Celebrations and holidays are incomplete without friends and family. Divide your team into small groups of five or six and invite them with their spouses, children, partners, and pets in the virtual happy hour. It will give everyone a chance to meet each other’s loved ones and know them better. Moreover, it also helps employees to connect at an informal level and improve their bond with each other. Otherwise, remote working has restricted a “business only” connection between the employees. It was not the case when people were working out of the physical workspace.

Online Meal

There’s no better way to connect with your peers and employees than sharing a meal together. In the current scenario, many organizations are still working remotely, and many countries have strict norms for social distancing. But a team lunch or dinner celebration is still possible. Yes, you heard it right! Companies like Amazon have initiated informal luncheons and cocktail parties for employees.

Book and schedule a suitable time slot of forty minutes to one hour on your team’s calendar for having the celebratory meal. Everyone can connect over a video call at the scheduled time and have their meal together. You can give them a chance to showcase their culinary skills by letting them bring in their own food. Alternatively, you can even get the meals delivered to their doorstep from nearby restaurants. It will help everyone to bond, especially the ones who joined the organization virtually.

Also Read: Virtual Onboarding: A New Reality

Play An Online Game

Online games are a great way to get your office party started and your employees to bond. Board games are still a favorite among many, and they help in refreshing the mind and boost productivity. Board games like Chess, Checkers, and Scrabbles improve the thinking capacity of individuals. As a result, it leads to creativity and the generation of new ideas. Many online applications such as ‘Tabletopia,’ ‘Vassal,’ ‘Board Game Arena,’ and ‘Dicebreaker’ have online libraries and stimulations where employees can play with each other on their browsers.

Other online games such as UNO, BINGO, Pictionary, and charades are some great options too.

Annual Virtual Award Ceremony

As per a recent study, 69% of employees would have worked harder if they received appreciation for their efforts.

Awards and recognition motivate employees more than anything else. When employees receive rewards, recognition, or praise for their contribution, they feel valued. It makes them feel good and inspires them to continue to work harder. In this era of remote working, it is essential that your employees stay motivated and engaged at all times. So a year-end virtual award ceremony will motivate your employees for the year 2021. Some of the ways how you can recognize and reward your employees in the annual virtual award ceremony are:

– Give them awards digitally
– A call out for all those who performed exceedingly
– Gift cards for all the rewardees
– Announce names on company social media accounts
– Praise using a Real-Time Performance Management Software

You can choose to be creative to reward your employees and add some new and innovative categories for recognition and rewards. It will increase the probability of maximum people getting rewarded.

Also Read: Employee Rewards And Recognition For An Engaged Workforce

Gifts

Holidays are gifting seasons, and everyone loves getting one. Get gifts packaged and delivered to your team at their doorstep. Make sure they keep them wrapped and open them together during the virtual celebration. Depending on the budget, the gifts can be something as simple as a coffee mug or chocolates. You can also send them office goodies or party bags.

You can also organize a Secret Santa where team members give gifts to each other. It is an exciting activity for everyone to guess from whom they have received the gifts.

 


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Author
Srikant Chellappa
CEO & Co-Founder of Engagedly

Srikant Chellappa is the Co-Founder and CEO at Engagedly and is a passionate entrepreneur and people leader. He is an author, producer/director of 6 feature films, a music album with his band Manchester Underground, and is the host of The People Strategy Leaders Podcast. He is currently working on his next book, Ikigai at the Workplace, which is slated for release in the fall of 2024.

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