Share funny videos, do some riddles and brainsteasers, put music on in the background. Also, they grow more motivated to maintain or improve their good work. Want to give someone the gift that keeps on giving? Try a subscription box. This amazing app pairs the blind and visually impaired with volunteers via a video call in order to assist with everyday tasks (think reading a recipe on the back of a box or selecting a . To host a virtual talent show, invite teammates to sign up for slots. If the show is a competition, then at the end of the performance have the audience vote for a winner via poll, or send a panel of judges into a breakout room to deliberate. During this time, one team member has 60 minutes to talk about their favorite subject while others listen and ask questions. Its hard to replicate daily interactions with co-workers, casual encounters by the water cooler, or after-work drinks, but we are encouraging our employees to find time for virtual coffees, lunches, or even happy hours with their colleagues. - William Taylor, Career Development Manager at Velvetjobs, Something that has really helped us keep spirits up is our Slack 'meme' channel where we encourage everyone to post the best memes they find throughout the day. Learn how to set new boundaries, ask for support, and re-strategize with your partner about what you need. Just to say hi and check how they are doing. These events can help virtual offices grow closer. Getting your own parking space is a highly coveted idea to really recognize your employees for doing a great job. Halloween is the time of year when employees can showcase their creativity and interact with coworkers they may not normally work closely with. Letting employees decorate their workspaces plays an active role in building relationships within the company. Find out how to shape a culture that attracts, engages, The thing that giants like Google and Airbnb have understood is that the physical environment of the office matters. Encourage healthy work-life balance by modeling healthy boundaries around time spent working and time off. Ensure that everyone gets that attention. Breakout rooms enable guests to have more intimate conversations, so that no attendee feels like an observer. You get the best effort from others, not by lighting a fire beneath them but by building a fire within. of 70-75% ethyl alcohol. Be sure to grab plenty of screen shots throughout the afternoon or evening. These activities also make great spring spirit week ideas for work. Want to submit a guest post? You will see that a few words of appreciation can do wonders for the workplace. If you are looking to reward your employees with a little something extra. It's run by a different division each week to encourage everyone to get involved and has been a fun way to spend a few hoursand a welcome distraction. - Anna Barker, Founder at LogicalDollar, I arranged a remote talent show for our team. A client of mine, whose team of 15 people are now all working from home, established daily 30-minute morning team check-ins to stay connected and on top of the priorities of the team, which have shifted given COVID-19. Company-branded swag can be simple everyday things like t-shirts, mugs, or even pen drives. Do it privately-ish. The lobby at Googles Sydney office makes visitors feel like theyre about to embark on a safari expedition rather than drown in a concrete jungle. They are tasty, convenient, and great for hunger pangs that strike while working. Spirit Week ideas for busy offices should include low-maintenance events that require minimal planning from event organizers and the participants. Plus, you can capture a screenshot of the whole crew dressed up. Use virtual coffee breaks to: Limit e-mail, insteaduse real-time, in person communication tools such as Skype, Zoom, etc., or even the old fashioned phone. Remote teammates work together to crack clues and conquer brain teasers before time runs out. One of the simplest and most popular solutions has been virtual happy hours. Recommended Article: 25 Employee Engagement Activities To Reinvent Your Workforce. Make Sure You're COVID Safe. Here are a few examples. If your crew would rather perform just for fun, then end the show by giving participants a well-deserved round of virtual applause. Plan out your meals and snacks ahead of time, such as at the beginning of the week or workday. Commemorating a work anniversary is a robust employee engagement, development, and retention tool and a way to recognize and show your appreciation to a valued employee. The intensive schedule prevents routine responsibilities from interrupting the fun, and permits employees to focus on recharging and team bonding. We are doing a virtual chocolate tasting with my team. When you think about having a great company culture, you think about building trust, honesty, and a great team of workers. I'm really hoping we won't have to consider this in future years, but a lot of planning time went into making sure that we minimized our COVID risk during the trip. It's marketed as "COVID-19 style" since all schools across the state are currently shut down. Harvard Business Review reports that "the most impactful driver of employee engagement is recognition.". To establish team norms, ask: What behaviors and practices are most important right now to our teams effectiveness?. At the end of the week, count up the wins, and have the victors face off against each other for the championship. Plus, the posts are a great way to advertise your companys culture to a wider audience. Employees thrive at work when they know their contributions have meaning. Superhero Academy is equal parts fun, intellectual, and competitive. During the call, participants can chat and play fun games, or co-work while enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. Gain practical tools and strategies to lead your remote team to high performance with mycomplimentary webinar and check out my new e-course: Lead High Performing Remote Teams That Thrive Through COVID and Beyond. Now more than ever, we need to lean on each other for support. Streaming service subscriptions. Wool socks, very plushy fleece blankets, playing cards, mugs, etc. If theyd just put an extra $100 in my paycheck and said we cant have a party this year so get yourself a nice treat, Id have appreciated that too. "We're encouraging employees to stay active by challenging their coworkers. Just be sure to offer nonalcoholic options too: We had a celebration that even I (a person averse to holiday parties and Zoom calls) liked. Part of the fun of spirit week is pretending, and murder mysteries cast participants in the roles of cunning detectives. Hosting this year has been no small featand the biggest party season of all is almost here. Successful fundraising during a recession is two-pronged: Focus hard on donor engagement and retention, and Think small bags of chips, cookies, and candy, displayed so employees can. For any employee who loves to be fit or is inclined towards adopting a healthier lifestyle, gym passes make for the ultimate way to help them get started. by HR professionals across the globe! Consider downloading a fitness app with curated workout playlists. We safeguard your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Simply gear each days activities around a particular topic. No, not the executive lunchroom. Then, after that, we had the opportunity to go into breakout roomslast year, one room did Schitts Creek trivia (it was a favorite among many staffers), another did Pictionary using the annotate functions of Zoom. Every company has got one of these employees. You can even use it as a way to support local businesses: We were able to do family meals for our employees. Interesting work matter only if you have good food while youre doing it. The consulting group McKinsey & Co. surveyed 1,000 employers , and 90 percent reported that the pandemic was affecting the behavioral health of their employees. Moreover, you can drop an appreciation mail to the employees so that it stays with them forever. Reward employees with a token or gift of appreciation from your side. Celebrated on the first Friday in March, it pays homage to each employee's contribution to their company. 1. Participate in the Boost Educators Challenge Encourage each student's family to challenge the rest of your school's families to give their teacher (s) a shout out or thank you over the school's social channels. Get to know your employees and find out what they like so you can give gift cards that are tailored to their interests. Attempt a self portrait with pencil and paper. I am a big believer in team norms which support the team in self managing behaviors, practices and performance. Beyond bestowing traditional awards like extraordinary performance, team player, or rookie of the year, you can also create fun award categories. This activity involves solving puzzles and finding clues to "escape" a themed room. Remote team games like holiday Bingo, trivia, and scavenger hunts get guests moving and invoke the holiday spirit. But with 29% of Americans reporting that they never drink alcohol, it is time for businesses to think of more inclusive activities. The Town of Wake Forest and the Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department want you to stay safe during the current COVID-19 pandemic by honoring Wake County's stay at home order. You can take the first step in promoting the importance of health. Promoting health is no longer seen as an initiative that yields 'soft' results. It all started with a group chat. 3. Here is an example of a graphic you could use for your games. For example, share with team members how you will be leading, how you will check in with them, what you will be asking about. Read about more virtual talent show ideas. Theme Days. Paint Pumpkins. Even a simple gesture like an appreciation message or thoughtful gifts on valentines Day or anniversaries can make a huge difference. It's not only a nice little project to focus on, but gives us something to talk about that's not work or coronavirus. One such example that predates COVID-19 (if you follow our newsletter, you already know that it's a personal favorite of mine) is the Be My Eyes app. This article is written by Barasha Medhi who is a part of the marketing team at Vantage Circle. This is a time to focus only on the people sitting before you. Virtual Fun Run Cost: $$ Difficulty: 4 Earning Potential: Just beware of overdosing on sugar. On beach day, participants post virtual backgrounds of tropical locations and sip mock mai tais. If you work in an industry where teamwork is crucial, sudden orders to . In the largest ever genetic analysis of grapevine varieties, including samples from previously undocumented specimens in private collections, researchers provide new insights into how, when, and . Book an Airbnb virtual experience. While personalizing spaces at work to fit the geographic locale or the personal tastes of employees has become common. Quarantine spirit week consisted of a unique theme for each day: skater Sunday, monochromatic Monday, tie-dye Tuesday, wig Wednesday, 13 going on Thursday and casual Friday. Spirit week is a week-long event that promotes company pride and employee engagement through fun activities. These events are the online equivalent of spirit week, and are examples of virtual employee engagement activities and virtual team celebrations, and often take place on virtual event platforms. Coronavirus has put a particular national spotlight on unmet needs of the growing older population in our country, and the tens of millions of overstretched family and professional caregivers they . It doesnt have to be cocktail focused. Its a really cool way to connect with your coworkers and find out more about their life outside of work. Declaring theme days is one of the easiest spirit week ideas for work from home. Hear clients' stories and learn how they're building a better workplace with Namely. Barasha can be found either searching for interesting HR buzzwords to write about or looking at pictures of cozy Bel Air mansions. For inspiration, check out our lists of online cooking classes and online art classes. To begin with, publicly recognizing great employees reflects well on your company for customers, investors, and your team. Instead of the usual tables and activities, they had booths set up where treats were handed through the window. Photos by Getty Images Plus. A lot. The best online spirit week ideas unite dispersed teammates, encourage interaction, and inspire fun. The key is making exercise a daily priority, and the holidays are no different. Due to the physical demands and psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, it's been difficult for many of us to stay physically active. For instance, plan a short gentle stretch, a high-intensity cardio routine, and a themed yoga class at different time slots throughout the day. Or, if you hold virtual escape rooms or similar games, then include puzzles. Home tours are a fun way for remote teammates to invite each other into personal spaces. Teammates could also give a short slideshow presentation of their home cities. Ive gotten a lot of reports of teams doing remote crafting sessions togetheroften around seasonal themes, like gingerbread houses: Our office is planning two optional events. But there is one occasion that should be praised with the same level of spirit and vigor as the restthe work anniversary. But to make them feel valued is what employees think is the most important. Mention about their desirable quirks like always being on time or such. Simmonds was blown away by . After the bartender presentation (which was short) everybody got to chat and enjoy their drinks for some time before saying goodbye. Communication in remote teams, whether casual chats or work related discussions, cant easily happen as spontaneously as it does when people are sitting next to each other at work. Considering the health boosts, climbing aboard a two wheeler for exercise is easy on your joints, for one, as your weight rests on your pelvis and not your legs. Companies all over the world are making their operations remote for the first time to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Discuss and ask specific questions about work related items such as what they are working on, what they have accomplished in x amount of time, whether they have any challenges and if so how you can help. Coffee or tea tastings work as well: We had a virtual coffee tasting where they sent those who RSVPd a free AeroPress and some coffees and had a coffee expert walk them through the different kinds over Zoom. Vantage Circle. Student Engagement: Spirit Weeks A number of schools and school districts have done weekly challenges where students participate in a themed activity, take a picture or video of it, and then upload and tag it with a specific hashtag so that the community can find, enjoy, and celebrate it with them. Find out how to attract and retain your employees through their entire lifecycle. Not my cup of tea but a lot of people seemed to like it! Daily Dose of Kindness (sent daily) Weekly Kindness Idea (sent weekly) General Newsletter (for everyone) General Newsletter (for educators) To keep our employees motivated, we are encouraging and hosting virtual social time. Research says that the primary cause of employees leaving their jobs is the lack of appreciation. Company retreats are fun, help team members bond while also providing the option of getting away from the stress of day-to-day work life.