Half of the box contained things like hand sanitizer, gloves, masks, and other health-related products to help us stay safe. and retains your top employees. Part of the fun of spirit week is pretending, and murder mysteries cast participants in the roles of cunning detectives. Shared items such a candy jars, cereal boxes, and containers of nuts should be removed for the safety of all workers. Make sure you exchange emails with a volunteer coordinator or call before you . Ask your remote team members to describe their day so far with an emoji or a string of emojis. When employees feel that their work is valued, their satisfaction and productivity rise. Here are some suggestions: A team reset meeting will ensure team members take time to identify how to best work together in this new reality so that the team can maintain a sense of community, transition through this change effectively, and maintain (and even improve) team performance during this time while supporting the well-being of team members. Here are some ideas that seem newly relevant given the constraints of 2020 and beyond. Reading a book on the sofa is a cozy way to get in the Christmas spirit. We had a Zoom meeting were a bartender showed how to mix each drink using the provided measuring cup, and answered questions about how to make a good martini, what to substitute for white eggs in pisco sour, etc. As the coronavirus continues to spread and confine people largely to their homes, many are filling pages with their experiences of living through a pandemic. 20 Fun Virtual Spirit Week Ideas, Games & Activities for Work I am a big believer in team norms which support the team in self managing behaviors, practices and performance. Want to submit a guest post? It might sound cliche, but small courtesies like a boss saying thank you to the team members can make a huge difference. How to Be Physically Active While Social Distancing If you work in an industry where teamwork is crucial, sudden orders to . 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 . 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. Anxiety. Theyve asked us what charities wed recommend. Food has a way of being a catalyst to bring people together. There's a lot you can do to be helpful from home. Dress-up days are one of the main events during spirit days at schools and offices. Offering free meals and caffeine is actually a highly effective and cost-effective means of motivating and controlling young employees. Coronavirus NC: Virtual spirit weeks unite school communities | Raleigh 2023 teambuilding.com, all rights reserved | Terms | Privacy, virtual tours of museums, zoos, and parks, list of free virtual team building activities for work, list of the best remote team outing ideas, Post a picture from your first year at the company vs now, Take a screenshot in the unlikeliest Zoom meeting spot, Film a 30-second work from home snack cooking lesson, Dress-up accessories, like sunglasses, boas, and novelty headbands, Create a collaborative world map showing which countries team members have lived in or traveled to, Ask participants to compile top 5 travel bucket lists of the destinations they would most like to visit, and pair up teammates with similar interests for a video chat, Video chat with screen pals in different countries, Compile a photo slideshow of the teams collective travels, Most likely to forget to mute/unmute the mic, Lightning fingers, aka fastest Slack replies, Most likely to binge cat videos during the workday. Because honestly, everyone expects the managers and leaders to be bossy and unreachable. 9 Ways to Help Others During the Coronavirus Pandemic First, either mail employees tea and fancy snacks, or ask attendees to bring their own refreshments and reimburse them for the expense. To set the mood, encourage participants to put up virtual backgrounds of Victorian parlors or lush gardens. You can celebrate the spirit of a challenge in your Spirit Week by hosting a Versus Day. These events help boost company pride. Simply gear each day's activities around a particular topic. 4 Ways A Single Word Has The Power To Positively Change Your Perspective, 8 Ways To Create Certainty Amid Current Workplace Uncertainty, Why Accountability Is At The Core Of Stewardship Delegation, 5 Ways To Grow Your Personal Brand As A Content Creator, Why We Need To Make Every Day Employee Appreciation Day, In A Competitive Job Market, Heres How To Win The Interview, 5 Tips To Recession-Proof Your Career And Bullet-Proof Your Security. Whether they worked late to get the job done, blew past their sales goal, or volunteering at a local shelter, give employees the credit they deserve. Remote teams often work on staggered schedules, meaning that the whole crew may not be available at game time. Remote teammates can enjoy a show while learning more about coworkers special skills and abilities. 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. Learn how to set new boundaries, ask for support, and re-strategize with your partner about what you need. Vantage Circle. As much as we'd like for things to be "business as usual" this holiday, planning for Christmas 2021 requires a little more work to keep guests happy and healthy. All online escape rooms inspire teamwork and critical thinking in a fun and exciting way. 2022 Tous droits rservs. Finally going on a picnic with their loved ones. When an employee above and beyond on a project at work or accomplishes a personal goal, give them a shoutout on social media to commend their hard work. Check the COVID-19 page on your city or county website to find out if you can sign up to offer your time this way. 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. Health & Safety Giveaways: Ideas amid COVID-19 - National Pen I am going to go out on a limb here to say to you something vital. Not to fear: There are plenty of Halloween-inspired crafts to go around. Once the awards end, you can email digital certificates and e-gift cards to recipients, or mail trophies and paper awards to their houses. It was a lot of fun! - Stephen J. Kontos, Founder & CEO at PatentXP PLLC, We keep employee morale high by sending out thank you notes to our employees currently working from home. In turn, healthier employees produce better results for their companies. 50 Spirit Week Ideas For Work To Energize Any Size Team - SnackNation Unorthodox corporate perks such as trips to hike near a volcano or dive with dolphins are an increasingly powerful way to attract, retain and motivate top talent. They had a selection that included non-alcoholic mixes too (like a ginger lemonade). Then, have one attendee lead the class, or screen share a video routine. Here is an example of a graphic you could use for your games. How to Plan a Wedding Amid COVID: Ideas, Advice & More When you think about having a great company culture, you think about building trust, honesty, and a great team of workers. Revamp your break room. Humans have an inherent need to get appreciated for their work. Have office happy hours and hire a bartender to mix them a drink or two. All in all, make the day about them, i.e., your employees. This peer-to-peer employee recognition idea is about encouraging everyone from the organization to recognize good work. Invite team members to share concerns or issues that need to be addressed, and be sure time is also spent acknowledging what is working well and what team members are proud of. To set the mood, you can encourage attendees to dress up and don fancy virtual backgrounds. This prevents you from working to the point of hunger and then scrambling to decide what to eat. Also, busy workdays are where lunches are spent with a sad sandwich while staring at the computer. Moreover, you can drop an appreciation mail to the employees so that it stays with them forever. You can take the first step in promoting the importance of health. To play a murder mystery online, first find a game or script, and then invite teammates to a Zoom meeting to play out the scenario. The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation | Random Acts of Kindness Day 2023 From relaxing countryside walks to exciting challenges, your staff will have the time of their lives. Some leaders consistently interact with those they most easily connect with but may not as readily think of others. I wont be able to attend as COVID-19 gave me the chance to move out of state and go full-time remote, but I actually think its a great idea. It definitely is the easiest and quickest Zoom icebreaker out there. Not every office can shut down for a full week, but even just an afternoon off usually goes over well: Our end-of-year celebration is usually a big lunch and then we get the rest of the afternoon off. The disease is extremely contagious, yet many infected people are asymptomatic, and patterns of transmission are not always clear. PopCap, the company behind legendary Facebook games like Bejeweled, offers some fantastic break rooms for its 400 odd employees. Team Norms. Spirit week is a week-long event that promotes company pride and employee engagement through fun activities. Some are great artists, while some spend their time doing charity work. He expressed that business leaders need to develop a structured and approach to mentoring. Many of us now look forward to Mondays because of these hilarious crosswords! 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 . Virtual Breakout Rooms are ideal for teams that need to brush up on their collaboration, problem-solving, and creative thinking skills. However, Slack games offer more flexibility, as teammates can play on their own schedules. I didnt even stay until the end and used half the amount of tequila in my margarita because Im not used to drinking, but it was a lot of fun, we all learned something and had a good laugh. SWAG stands for "stuff we all get." We made an example virtual spirit week agenda: Creating a visually appealing spirit week announcement can help your crew be more excited and attentive towards the event. With higher motivation comes better engagement, happiness, and ultimately retention. Some ideas for your 30-minute morning check-ins include: Establish virtual coffee chats with individual team members. 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. Workplace Safety During COVID-19 | Justia For instance, if you host a murder mystery, then include character cards in the boxes. Why not expend the effort necessary to retain the staff that you have already painfully recruited and hired? While Valentine's Day will most likely look different than years past, you can still have fun with your significant other and make it memorable and safe. Spirit week attendees can either make their own backgrounds using Canva or Photoshop, or can download one from online. This will make them feel like a part of your business and not just a mere employee. Gift ideas ranged, but included orchids, stay-at-home picnic baskets, family dinners, bookstore gift cards, and fancy coffee! - Nicole Canulla, Head of Marketing & Communications at DUST Identity, What I've found very engaging and will definitely continue to use even after we're no longer remote is Donut. Share funny videos, do some riddles and brainsteasers, put music on in the background. 1. About how his/her contributions have aided to a projects successful completion. Online fundraising allows you to make a big impact even if your team is limited in members or budget. 2. From digital marketing to online delivery services, there are several needs that the pandemic has sparked among consumers. ). The best thing about birthdays is cake. #StayStrongWF Spirit Week | Town of Wake Forest, NC 1. Get the resources. To host these virtual workouts, have participants join a Zoom call. This year, the questions are quite different, and nearly all are some variation of What do we even do for the holidays in a pandemic? Many employers are simply canceling holiday celebrations, since theres no way to safely gather. Companies with a corporate health plan are more likely to see more engaged employees. You may opt-out by. Covid Christmas plans: How to celebrate safely I Paperless Post 1. Help make kindness the norm at school, home and work by using the links below! Plus, we decided there will be a prize for the tallest sunflower, so it's turning into quite the competition. - Rose Jinks, Digital PR Specialist at Online Mortgage Advisor, As a way to boost morale and encourage teamwork while were apart, my company has been hosting virtual trivia nights every week. No, not the executive lunchroom. Things to do: 100 indoor activities if you're not feeling social yet Talking about making employees feel valued, a great way to do so is by involving them in the decision-making process, wherever possible. It is a small token of appreciation, but our employees have expressed that they really appreciate the recognition. - Darryl Smith, Founding Partner at Florida Car Accident Lawyer Team, Because of the coronavirus, Kickstand recently implemented more flexible work schedules, including a few mental health hours per week to encourage employees to step away from their computers and recharge during the workday. Be sure to grab plenty of screen shots throughout the afternoon or evening. We also have a list of the best remote team outing ideas. During this time, one team member has 60 minutes to talk about their favorite subject while others listen and ask questions. We, humans, are emotional creatures. For example, book-binding, instrument-building, ravioli-making, or makeup lessons with a drag queen. Recommended Case Study: Indias Largest Telecom Company Boosts their Global Employee Engagement with Vantage Rewards. I hope the concrete strategies and steps I share below will help you to bring some added calm, focus and renewed energy to your team. It can range from conducting regular health check-ups, yoga sessions, dentist appointments, and offering health insurance. Being a boss, every positive word from you will act as a huge morale booster for your employees. Yet now is a time when communication actually needs to be ramped up. I hope this article has in some small way helped your and your teams trek through this extraordinary time. And encouraging a cake culture can never be a bad thing. Thoughtful ways to build community and pride. Hand Sanitizers. Coronavirus Impacting Your Fundraising? Here's What to Do You signed up for your preferred one beforehand and received a list of ingredients, then once the drinks were made, people came back to the big room and there were a couple of facilitated games and stuff (like trivia). You could either ask team members to pre-record videos, give the tour live during a Zoom meeting, or upload photos to a shared album. 31. Chances are, your company has one too. Get the latest news from Namely about HR, Payroll, and Benefits. Add some seriously "tricked out" kitchens on each floor of their facilities. InDirect Report, she spotlights themes from her inbox that help explain the modern workplace and how we could be navigating it better. We are doing a virtual chocolate tasting with my team. It all started with a group chat. Not to mention there's the option of booking an entertainer - choices include singer Jimmy Barnes and comedy duo Hamish and Andy - to spice up a webcam-based party. It is especially meaningful when the appreciation comes from their bosses. If your office normally does Secret Santa or Yankee Swap gift exchanges, you can keep it going this year too. Get Competitive. Also, they grow more motivated to maintain or improve their good work. Be thoughtful with your messages of appreciation. Vantage Circle. Simple ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in your workplace Real world elements make virtual exercises more engaging and interactive. Every year there are days we look forward to. The knowledge that there is a whole day dedicated to employee appreciation should let you know its significance. We safeguard your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy. 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. Sometimes the best thing you can do for your team is to enable them to let off some steam without the pressure to perform. Check out our list of the best online murder mysteries. 21 Fun Quarantine Christmas Ideas 2020 - Good Housekeeping Clear your schedule for at least an hour. PDF COVID-19 Developing Resilience in the Workplace I write about how to improve team and leadership performance. These activities broaden employees global and cultural horizons while also delighting the teams travel lovers. Teammates can vote using the poll feature in your video meeting platform, and you can send the winner a prize. Weve found that this is key to recreating that Friday feeling during lockdown. - Nushy Rose, Managing Editor at Parlia.