32. Virtual Breakout Rooms are ideal for teams that need to brush up on their collaboration, problem-solving, and creative thinking skills. No, not the executive lunchroom. Were working with local restaurants (some minority-owned) to provide cold reheatable family meals that our employees will take home to enjoy with their family. Many a time, they'll bring that positivity and enthusiasm back to the workplace. The employee experience is better, and the company's outcome stronger. Go for a walk. Virtual tea parties are calm yet quirky online events to hold with remote teams. 1. Be Intentional About Communications It's crucial that leaders don't get sucked into the. A viral photo with suggestions for "Homeschool Spirit Week" has been circling social media. These events can help virtual offices grow closer. 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. Plus, you could throw virtual parties for any holiday. 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. Dress-up days find a niche at busy offices; employees can show up in costume but still get tons of work done. To set the mood, you can encourage attendees to dress up and don fancy virtual backgrounds. Its expensive to recruit a new worker. Find out how to shape a culture that attracts, engages, Subjects should be fun and non-work related. Attempt a self portrait with pencil and paper. 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. So, whether you're paired up or have something in the works, here are 20 ideas to safely celebrate Valentine's Day during coronavirus. What Readers Want During COVID-19: Content Ideas for Every Niche. Remote teams can dress up for remote meetings, even if their outfits wont be on display all day. Ask each person to share one word to describe how they are feeling in that moment. 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. Have office happy hours and hire a bartender to mix them a drink or two. Or, you can use an app like Donut to match up opponents, and pairs can play games instead of scheduling a video chat. Here are 10 ideas to consider for your school: 1. You can even snap a photo and create your own hashtag for when employees achieve something especially commendable. The purpose of online spirit weeks is to boost employee engagement and morale. The team that plays together bonds better. Here's what you might be missing- employee appreciation ideas. See: How Indoor Ventilation Systems Can Help Prevent or Permit the Spread of COVID-19 . Get the resources. Check out our list ofonline escape rooms. I am going to go out on a limb here to say to you something vital. Company retreats are great for celebrating employees after successful project completion or after an outstanding financial year. It's marketed as "COVID-19 style" since all schools across the state are currently shut down. Remote team games like holiday Bingo, trivia, and scavenger hunts get guests moving and invoke the holiday spirit. Barasha can be found either searching for interesting HR buzzwords to write about or looking at pictures of cozy Bel Air mansions. But they are the last to leave. And amid stay-at-home orders. Online escape rooms are online versions of thematic puzzle-solving games. The Coronavirus Crisis 9 Ways Schools Will Look Different When (And If) They Reopen 1. These events help boost company pride. Convey these "thank you" either in a heartful card, on social media, with the help of appreciation letters or (better yet) through a friendly handshake. Wishing you and your team health and tranquility. 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. Do it privately-ish. by HR professionals across the globe! Perhaps to no ones surprise, drinking seems to be quite popular this year, and some companies have figured out how to incorporate it into remote events. Angela has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and worked as a community manager with Yelp to plan events for businesses. To establish team norms, ask: What behaviors and practices are most important right now to our teams effectiveness?. Kicking their feet up on the couch and zoning out in front of the TV could be just what the essential workers in your life need after dealing with the public . Feel free to customize it with your companys logos. Show Your Appreciation. 17 Ways to Boost Employee Morale During COVID-19 That Arent Happy Hours, celebrate employee milestones virtually here, general tricks for managing your remote workforce here. Moreover, you can drop an appreciation mail to the employees so that it stays with them forever. Here is an example of a graphic you could use for your games. The best way to decorate virtual offices is by using virtual meeting backgrounds. This year, theyre sending a food related gift to our homes and giving us the afternoon off. Whats Working/Whats Not? Content Expert at teambuilding.com. For instance, plan a short gentle stretch, a high-intensity cardio routine, and a themed yoga class at different time slots throughout the day. Thus in this scenario, investing in an effective recognition program becomes a critical part of employee engagement. Home tours are a fun way for remote teammates to invite each other into personal spaces. Sometimes, the utmost appreciation that an employee seeks is a promotion in his job role. This will allow team members to truly appreciate each other, leading to better team building. As we are a small team, we used to track this daily on a whiteboard in the office, but now we just check in each morning to see what each team member is planning to do that day. - Napala Pratini, Co-Founder at Habitual, We started including crosswords with internal jokes and references in our internal weekly newsletter. Its been close to two months since the World Health Organization declared the spread of the novel coronavirus an official pandemic. Every company has got one of these employees. Celebrating employee birthdays never gets old. 33 Amazing Employee Appreciation Ideas [2023 Update], The Ultimate Guide To Employee Rewards and Recognition, 50 Best Words of Appreciation for Employees, Gift Cards Make For The Perfect Employee Rewards, Indias Largest Telecom Company Boosts their Global Employee Engagement with Vantage Rewards, 25 Employee Engagement Activities To Reinvent Your Workforce, 25 Employee Recognition Statistics You Shouldn't Ignore, Top 102 Employee Recognition Quotes To Celebrate Their Endeavours, 23 Awesome Ways To Make Every Employee Work Anniversary Memorable, All You Need To Know About Sales Incentive Programs In 2023, 10 Intrinsic Rewards That Your Employees Look Forward To, Empower the Workforce With A Culture of Peer-to-Peer Recognition. Interesting work matter only if you have good food while youre doing it. Food has a way of being a catalyst to bring people together. Recommended Article: The Ultimate Guide To Employee Rewards and Recognition. We also had a really strict limit for spending, like $20. Promoting health is no longer seen as an initiative that yields 'soft' results. Online workouts serve the dual purpose of adding exercise and peer-to-peer interaction into remote workers sedentary, solitary workdays. Get 5 morale boosting tips here, learn how to celebrate employee milestones virtually here, and get some more general tricks for managing your remote workforce here. 3 Ways Tech Company Sysomos Transformed Employee Experience, 5 Tips to Implement Summer Work Schedules, 6 Design Ideas to Create an Inspiring Work Environment. Encourage healthy work-life balance by modeling healthy boundaries around time spent working and time off. Your employees are amazing people with undisclosed talents. Simply schedule a Zoom meeting and ask attendees to join from an outdoor spot such as backyards, parks, or beaches. Make the day memorable by organizing outside barbecues or small office parties. The games last 90 minutes, giving remote colleagues plenty of time to bond and have fun together. For example, Marvel versus DC Comics, the '60s versus the '70s, or Batman and the Joker. Half of the box contained things like hand sanitizer, gloves, masks, and other health-related products to help us stay safe. 31. Gathering via video call and online communication platforms gives groups a chance to relax, re-energize, and reconnect with teammates. Virtual spirit weeks are weeklong events that consist of a series of fun and interactive online activities. 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. 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. Part of the fun of spirit week is pretending, and murder mysteries cast participants in the roles of cunning detectives. Theyve asked us what charities wed recommend. A team lunch is a great way through which everyone can bond with each other and with you. Online fundraising allows you to make a big impact even if your team is limited in members or budget. 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. Websites like Elfster or DrawNames will organize the whole process for you, letting you set a gift budget and providing space for participants to share their wish lists: I worked in a fully remote environment last holiday season, and this had been a tradition for several years, though it was entirely opt-in. The second event is a winter wreath demo where again supplies are sent to peoples houses and you can follow along with the demo and put a non-denominational winter wreath together. The knowledge that there is a whole day dedicated to employee appreciation should let you know its significance. E-Learning is the preferred modern way to upskill and learn while having the convenience of choosing the when and where. You can also make sure you take at least a 30-minute lunch break. Employee appreciation is meant to make the workplace feel a little bit like home. Doesnt necessarily have to be alcohol or coffeeyou could do a juice tasting, or maybe a food tasting. SWAG stands for "stuff we all get." Simple ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in your workplace 2. The time can be used all at once or in increments. - Molly George, Partner and CEO of Kickstand Communications, We host Netflix parties where we pick something to watch and an app syncs our screens, letting us instant message each other. Take a bubble bath (bonus: Add a glass of. Heightened communication is necessary, not only to keep your remote team productively focused, but because the sudden move from the workplace to a home space can take an emotional toll on people when they no longer have the social contact with work friends and colleagues. You found our list of unique virtual spirit week ideas. Some ideas include: Characters from a favorite movie Halloween is the time of year when employees can showcase their creativity and interact with coworkers they may not normally work closely with. Cycling is beneficial for your. Be thoughtful with your messages of appreciation. For many of us, sheltering at home and staying healthy to help " flatten the curve " of the coronavirus spread may be the most important way we can help others right now. Add some seriously "tricked out" kitchens on each floor of their facilities. Learn more about virtual costume contests. 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. The essence of spirit week is enthusiasm, not physical proximity. 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. If your office normally does Secret Santa or Yankee Swap gift exchanges, you can keep it going this year too. If done in person, they provide a safer pandemic option because you share the room only with the people in your party. 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. These activities broaden employees global and cultural horizons while also delighting the teams travel lovers. Engage in active family play time. Or you might feel concerned about the health of others, such as those who you care for or live with. We've had a few teams compete in virtual relays, races, or step challenges using free apps to log steps, distance ran/cycled, etc. Employee appreciation is the cornerstone of developing a robust and meaningful workplace culture. To begin with, publicly recognizing great employees reflects well on your company for customers, investors, and your team. The thing that giants like Google and Airbnb have understood is that the physical environment of the office matters. Trivia can be a good way to help teams relax, inspire conversation and build relationships. Thus, make it easier for team members to congratulate each other on a job well done. Vantage Circle. The tours could happen on a single day, or throughout the week. 5k+ Downloads The sudden need to adapt to these changes during COVID has given rise to new challenges that range from work-life stress, disparities in employees' ability to work from home effectively, and the increased need for employers to support worker safety, health, and well-being both at work and outside the traditional work environment. Be sure to grab plenty of screen shots throughout the afternoon or evening. You can also offer a myriad of health benefits. Successful fundraising during a recession is two-pronged: Focus hard on donor engagement and retention, and Many teams are waking up to a new reality of working remotely. Here are some ideas that seem newly relevant given the constraints of 2020 and beyond. High 53F. Simply post a different game or prompt on the company social channels every day, and instruct employees to respond using a special hashtag. Photo illustration by Slate. Get the latest news from Namely about HR, Payroll, and Benefits. We do a Champagne toast at our holiday party every year, and theres some rumors about mini bottles being shipped out for a Zoom toast, but Im not sure! Not just practical job skills, but behavioral and cultural skills as well. Keeping a workplace safe during the COVID-19 pandemic can be challenging. Plus, the posts are a great way to advertise your companys culture to a wider audience. 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). The best online spirit week ideas unite dispersed teammates, encourage interaction, and inspire fun. 29. Recommended Article: 23 Awesome Ways To Make Every Employee Work Anniversary Memorable. To keep our employees motivated, we are encouraging and hosting virtual social time. They take place using video call software, online communication platforms, and occasionally social media. to Launch During a Pandemic. Consider sending your top ten performers off for a day or two at a spa to provide an incentive for continued outstanding performance. 2. From year-end reporting to employee paystubs, check out these payroll tips and tricks. Some ideas for your 30-minute morning check-ins include: One-Word Check-ins. Try a subscription box. Every year there are days we look forward to. It definitely is the easiest and quickest Zoom icebreaker out there. Not to fear: There are plenty of Halloween-inspired crafts to go around. Want to give someone the gift that keeps on giving? Believe it or not, such small stuff really sees a positively impacted company culture. These light-hearted contests can also easily be tied to raising money for charity. - Joe Wilson, Senior Career Advisor at MintResume, Our company gave us all sunflower seeds to care for and grow as we work from home. Metal Pen and Antibacterial Hand Sanitizer. Anxiety. Getty Images/PeopleImages. They are tasty, convenient, and great for hunger pangs that strike while working. Need more tips for how to keep your employees happy during COVID-19? Virtual Fun Run Cost: $$ Difficulty: 4 Earning Potential: Our division is doing a holiday drive-in movie and renting out a drive-in theater for the evening. 1. Get the latest news from Namely about HR, payroll, and benefits. Working remotely creates a new set of challenges that arebeing amplified by the added stress of school closures andby the anxiety many are facing during this pandemic. The amount of pay is capped at $511 per day, and $5,110 in total, for employees who are sick or quarantined or who have symptoms. When Kirkman first had the idea, she posted about it in her social club Facebook group and on her Instagram story, in case a few close friends wanted to join. 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. In turn, healthier employees produce better results for their companies. Revamp your break room. 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 . This time has been invaluable to the team as they had been feeling scattered, stressed, and disconnected. Here come's the most impactful one in our list of employee appreciation ideas. Also, remember to turn your phone off. This helps us all get out of our heads to have a little fun during the workday. - Sam Williamson, co-owner of CBDiablo, Were encouraging employees to stay active by challenging their coworkers. See how Namely's flexible solution will help you streamline your HR processes by having your people, payroll, and benefits info all in on place. For instance, if you host a murder mystery, then include character cards in the boxes. Check out BoostEducatorsChallenge.com for details. Whats Really So Wrong About Secretly Working Two Full-Time Jobs at Once? There is no discussion in this exercise, it is simply a way for team members to connect with how others are feeling in the moment. You might feel anxious about: Your own safety and the safety of others. 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. I also personally feel that it's boosting my wellbeing and brightening my day. But employees with a few years of experience should be matched with a career mentor to help them grow in their position. Yet now is a time when communication actually needs to be ramped up. This activity won't cause too much distraction or mess. School spirit week is a fun time for everyone to come together and show off their pride. Hand Sanitizers. Team Norms. You will see that a few words of appreciation can do wonders for the workplace. By planning an online retreat for spirit week, you block out employees time and free staff to enjoy the festivities. This prevents you from working to the point of hunger and then scrambling to decide what to eat. This helps your employees feel appreciated on an ongoing basis. -Bob Nelson, In the United States, 20,000 workers were surveyed by the Boston Consulting Group. Are your employee motivated to come to work every single day? Why not see which team has the most steps or ran the furthest distance this week? For three hours per week, staff can sign off anytime during the workday for rest and wellbeing, no questions asked. Here are answers to some of the most common questions about virtual spirit weeks. With these 33 employee appreciation ideas, you will see reduced turnover and retain your top talents. Spirit week is a week-long event that promotes company pride and employee engagement through fun activities. Perhaps the best gift to give your employees is recognizing your employees publicly for a great job done. There are numerous free crossword creating apps, and all you need to do is share the linkso easy and so fun! - Mira Rakicevic, Co-founder at Comfy Living. 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. All contents 2023 The Slate Group LLC. "Everyone meet promptly at 5:30 p.m., and line up your cars by the parking lot next to my house," instructed the texts sent out by Amanda Perez, staff member and University of Miami School of Communication graduate student, and her mother, Wendy Perez. Team members can challenge each other voluntarily. The charm of subscription boxes is that theres something for everyone! Also, they give continuous optimal performance. Distance does not have to put a damper on the fun. Here is our take on enhancing employee motivation with the below 33 exceptional employee appreciation ideas. For any related queries, contact editor@vantagecircle.com. You can celebrate the spirit of a challenge in your Spirit Week by hosting a Versus Day. Reward employees with a token or gift of appreciation from your side. Online Office Games is a friendly competition for remote teammates. 2020 Namely, Inc. All rights reserved. In order to position your company as one where people really want to work, your company SWAG items had better reflect that. And of course folks could also just log off if they wanted to, with no pressure to spend the rest of the day working. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Donut is an app in our Slack channel that randomly pairs up coworkers together, encouraging them to set up a coffee meeting (of course, in this case, a virtual coffee meeting) in order to get to know each other better. First, either mail employees tea and fancy snacks, or ask attendees to bring their own refreshments and reimburse them for the expense. Virtual workout or meditation classes. It might sound cliche, but small courtesies like a boss saying thank you to the team members can make a huge difference.
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