The coronavirus pandemic has brought forth an impossible situation. Jobs that were earlier considered to be non-remote have now taken a ‘work from home’ turn. In such a case, it is heartwarming to see employees rise to the challenges and maintain their productivity despite connecting remotely.
Now, in a normal situation where employees turn up at the office for 5 or 6 days a week, organizations would arrange parties to help employees deal with work stress. With work from home, the burden is only higher, and employees do not have any parties or recreational events to relax and rejuvenate themselves. This is affecting their morale and productivity.
An effective way to avoid letting such things take a toll on employee productivity is by occasionally organizing virtual office parties. This article dwells upon the different themes that you would want to consider for the same and how you can organize office parties to rejuvenate employees.
Virtual Art Parties
For most people, unleashing our creative juices goes a long way in dealing with stress. Organizations can rely on that to organize virtual parties. Select a theme such as nature, a festival, or even the lockdown.
Look up the internet to find the best invitation maker free online and use that to draft an appealing e-invite for your employees. Ensure that the invite mentions the theme’s details so that the employees can be mentally prepared.
On the day of the event, ask your employees to draw something based on the theme. While you may choose to stick to conventional MS Paint, you can also make things more interesting by asking your employees to do the art in a spreadsheet.
Competitive Parties
Having friendly and competitive events in parties motivates people and acts as a stress buster. If it is a festive theme, you can organize a competition such as ‘Ugliest Christmas Sweater’ or ‘Most Awkward Gift Every Received,’ wherein employees can show (or discuss the items on the video call).
Further, you can organize desk arrangement competitions wherein the employees are given a stipulated time to arrange their desks as best as they can.
While the competitive element in any such party is essential, you must take care to ensure that the winners are suitably rewarded. Be it some cash incentive, a gift, or points that can be redeemed later, the key to guaranteeing enthusiastic participation in a competitive party is by arranging rewards.
Camp Theme Party
In the traditional corporate setup, camping is a potent team-building activity. You can organize a virtual party with the same theme. Several service providers organize such virtual camp parties. You can look up the one nearest to your base location and outsource them the job of organizing the virtual party.
Alternatively, if you want to take the responsibility of organizing the party, start with sending a package with a tealight candle and some matchsticks for each member of the team. Instruct them not to open the package till the event.
On the day of the event, get the team to come online, ask them to turn off the light, light the candle, and share stories. This will not just rejuvenate them but will also go a long way in creating shared memories that will last a lifetime.
Costume Theme Party
Working from home translates to giving up on dressing up for work. Hence, having a costume theme party will be a welcome change for most employees. From things like ‘Unity in Diversity’ to ‘Guns n Roses’ and ’80’s Fashion’, you have an array of choices concerning the theme.
Party with a Social Cause
Virtual or otherwise, a party is all about having fun. However, this does not mean that a party cannot have a theme that centers around a social cause. Encouraging the wearing of masks, discouraging racism, promoting the planting of saplings are some themes that you can adopt.
If your organization is organizing a social themed employee’s party, you may want to publicize that to get some positive public attention. Start by making a promo to a video highlighting the cause your organization is standing for. Try to use a promo video maker online free without watermark for this.
Pet Themed Party
Spending time with your canine friends is extremely relaxing. As an organization, you can arrange a pet-themed virtual party wherein your employees can bring their pets to the party. An event organizer can take charge of coordinating the virtual event.
Interacting with their colleague’s pets will help them deal with work stress and bond better with their co-workers. This fosters better teamwork and improves the productivity of the organization.
Virtual Gift Party
Many corporate events dictate showering each other with gifts. While work takes a digital approach, there is no reason for events like secret Santa or white elephant not to.
Come up with innovative ideas on virtual gifts that can make these parties more effective. From charitable donations to electronic gift cards, e-books, OTT subscriptions, feel free to make a pick.
Achievement parties
It is a natural human tendency to feel encouraged when one’s talents are recognized. It is a good idea for firms to organize monthly, quarterly, or yearly events to recognize their employees’ hard work. Virtual celebratory parties will have a flow of activities that is similar to physical parties.
From an introductory speech to victory speeches, things remain unaltered. As for the food, it is a good idea to ask employees to arrange the same type of meals so that the sense of sharing is maintained.
By arranging for such virtual events, organizations not only encourage top performers to maintain the effort but also inspire others to put their best foot forward.
Conclusion
While the adoption of a remote work-life has been achieved without any hiccups, as an organization, you must ensure that the employees get their rightful due. Getting creative in organizing fun events for employees is a welcome step in this regard.
While there may be some initial challenges, your employees will certainly appreciate this gesture. This will also increase their bond with the firm and motivate them to give their best shot at work.