In times of ‘work from home‘, the traditional office party has shifted into a new realm. Virtual office parties are known under different names, but they all have one thing in common: they are held online, over various video conferencing platforms. By including games, activities, icebreakers, and gifts in these events, they show appreciation for employees and recognise important occasions and milestones throughout the year. These celebrations may also be referred to as a “virtual parties,” “Zoom parties” or “remote parties.”
In the following section, we’ll be discussing various virtual holiday party ideas, such as corporate party games and icebreakers. You’ll find all the information you need here on whether you should have an online company party or not (spoiler alert: yes), how to stay within budget, and what sort of supplies are needed to make your works party ideas come to life. Let’s begin!
Happy Hour
Having a virtual happy hour with your colleagues is a great way to celebrate what’s been happening in the office and improve morale. You don’t have to be in the same room or even wear special attire. All you need is an internet connection, some snacks, and good company. Here are some tips for hosting a successful virtual happy hour:
– Invite everyone. Make sure to send out invites in advance so your colleagues can plan and set aside time for the event.
– Prepare snacks. Ask everyone to make their favourite snack, which you could be discussed over video chat.
– Set ground rules. Come up with some ground rules like no political conversations, no recordings, and no background noise.
– Play games. To make the happy hour more fun and interactive, play some simple games like charades or trivia quizzes.
– Show appreciation. Give each other small tokens of gratitude such as e-gift cards, holiday cards, or homemade gifts.
Take an Online Class
We’re not talking here about programming classes or anything that requires you to sit still and listen to extensive material that you can easily get lost in. We’re talking about relaxing online classes, such as yoga, moulding clay, cooking quick meals, etc.
The best thing is, you can all participate and share your thoughts afterward. Not to mention that you’ll have a new skill shared among you, which will only give you one more topic to discuss with each other.
Ugly Sweater Contest
Organising a virtual ugly sweater contest in your company is an easy and fun way to boost morale and bring some cheer into the workplace. This type of event promotes creativity, encourages employees to connect with each other in a unique way, and can be organised remotely with ease.
Make sure to clearly communicate expectations, rules, and guidelines for the contest. For example, outline how participants can submit their photos of their ugly sweaters and when voting will occur. It’s also important to set a deadline for submitting entries and make sure that all employees are aware of it.
Afterward, you can pick the ugliest sweater, the itchiest one, the most colourful one, etc.; the possibilities are endless, and another great idea is to give awards to each winner, such as a gift card, a self-care basket, or even another ugly sweater.
Stream a Movie Together
Organising a virtual movie night is the perfect way to bring your company together, even when you can’t be in the same physical space. You don’t have to wait for a special occasion in order to spend an hour or two together, you can do it anytime.
In order to make your movie night a success, you need to find a good streaming platform and choose a movie that you all agree on. Keep in mind that some people hate horror movies, while others aren’t fond of comedies. It’s important to discuss this beforehand. Also, ask every member of the team to set up a cozy atmosphere and bring snacks and drinks. To make things more interesting, you can join a video call and follow the movie even closer together.
Bottom Line
In the last few years, many companies switched to online work, which drew team members further away from each other. Special occasions are the perfect time of the year to bring your team together and spend quality time as one. The possibilities to make your next virtual meeting fun and successful are endless, and we’ve only shared the top four ways to spend your downtime in your virtual office.
