Recently I was asked about what you can do to celebrate the holiday with your team given the need for social distancing. I wanted to share a few creative ideas:

  • Cooking or baking demonstration
  • Team trivia
  • Virtual escape room
  • Scavenger Hunt – gift cards sent to the winners
  • Painting Party – the team votes between 2 pictures that they will paint. Supply list provided with a gift card to purchase what is needed or you can have kits mailed to their home.
  • Virtual Talent Show
  • Mixologist to make craft cocktails
  • Hosting a beer or wine tasting with food pairings with Certified Cicerones (beer) or Sommelier (wine)
  • Comedy or Magic Shows
  • Pizza Party – one company had pizza kits delivered to their employee’s homes the day before the event. They posted images and videos of their families making pizza together.

Things to keep in mind:

  • Make it inclusive and comfortable
  • Make the most of tech tools (many of the ideas above can be virtual, if needed)
  • Have a theme
  • Keep it manageable and small
  • Choose games that aren’t too competitive (or do!)
  • Make the playlist interactive
  • Send Happy Hour Swag (items to encourage attendance)
  • Be conscious

More details on what to keep in mind can be found in this article: https://swag.com/blog/virtual-happy-hour-ideas-tips recently shared by Karen Oliver-Behee. If you are interested in a Virtual Escape room/team building exercise contact the Janet Irving, at the Effectiveness Institute (janet@effectivenessinstitute.com) or call (425) 765-7753.