The holidays are finally here! With many employees working remotely, there’s still a way to add some festive cheer to your next virtual meeting and get the whole team feeling jolly and appreciated as we approach the end of the year. While the annual holiday party might be put on hold again this year, you can still have a little fun and take a break together, virtually.
Everybody loves to come together and celebrate. Whether it’s celebrating milestones in the company, good news in the personal lives of your team members, or simply chatting about non-work-related topics, reasons to bring the team together will be welcomed. Fostering this kind of team bonding increases morale and shows employees that their employers care about their wellbeing.
5 Ideas to Spread Virtual Cheer Among Remote Employees
Put on your Santa hat and get a little help from our tips to build up some holiday excitement within the team. Whether you’re leading a team or the designated party planner, here are some ideas to spread the holiday spirit in a remote work environment.
1. Virtual ugly sweater party
Nothing gets you into the holiday spirit than an ugly sweater party! If you’re unable to host one in person, get your team together virtually! Have some fun and make it a competition to see who has the “best” ugly sweater during the party. Depending on the team’s budget, you can work with your manager to offer gift cards as an incentive for people to up their ugly sweater game.
2. Send a holiday-themed gift
A great way to get the team excited about the holidays is to surprise them with a holiday-themed gift at their doors! There are tons of holiday goodie bag ideas that include cookies, beverages, décor, mugs, socks and much more! If you are hosting a virtual holiday party, you might give a gift that goes with the theme of the party so people can use their goodies during the soiree.
3. Organize a secret Santa group
This could be tons of fun and a way for people to get to know each other outside work! You can work with your manager to set a budget and assign the gift-giving and maybe even allocate a little meeting for people to get to know each other’s interests. All the gift-givers will have to do is mail them in and everyone can open their gifts virtually once they’ve been delivered.
4. Host a virtual awards ceremony
If you’re leading a team, there’s no better way to show appreciation than to give recognition. With people working remotely, sometimes it can be hard to feel recognized or noticed for doing a good job. Having a little awards ceremony for your team or the company can be a good way to show your employees you are grateful for all their hard work during the year. Add in a dash of fun with light-hearted awards such as “Most likely to have the best Zoom background” or “Most likely to have their dog interrupt the meeting.”
5. Bring the team together
While this can be challenging to do online, it might be the best way to bring everyone together for the holidays. This is an opportunity to give people a chance to share their holiday traditions and talk about what they are celebrating whether it’s Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and any other cultural tradition they might celebrate! Being inclusive and recognizing everyone’s culture will sure make people feel close and included in the festivities.
We might not realize that sometimes the holidays are hard for some people, so it’s important to support and be there for your employees and coworkers, especially if they are going through a tough time during this time of year. A little bit of festive fun will surely be appreciated as you spread the warmth among everybody.
We wish you a safe and happy holiday season!
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