Go Virtual

It has been an extremely tough year for nearly all of us. Now more than ever, we need to celebrate that we have made it this far. Having a virtual holiday office party is a great way to connect, take a break, and recognize how your organization has made it together. 

Plan Ahead

Just like when organizations plan ahead for client presentations, planning ahead for a Virtual Holiday Party will be key to your success. Don’t wing it. Make sure you have a moderator or party planner to help organize and keep your party moving so that it is entertaining and engaging.

Get Your Employees Involved Before the Holiday Party

Half the fun of celebrations is anticipating them. Let your staff know ahead of time the activities you will be having. For instance, if you are going to have a trivia contest, let them know the categories so they can start preparing. If you are going to have a best-looking gingerbread house contest, give them plenty of time to design and build them.

Begin with an Ice Breaker

Start with a positive activity the gets everyone involved. If you have a large organization, split the group into breakout rooms. Popular ice breaker topics follow:

• What is your favorite holiday tradition?
• What is your favorite holiday movie?
• What is your favorite holiday food?
• What is the strangest present you have ever received?

Be Creative

When choosing activities, it is fine to think outside of the box, just make sure they fit your organization. Are you loaded with a bunch of Type A personalities? Maybe a competitive scavenger hunt (see below) will work well. Do your employees tend to cut up and have fun? Perhaps you should consider an Ugly Sweater Competition. Other ideas follow:

Holiday Mask Competition – Encourage creativity and vote on the best mask.

Snacks – If it fits in your budget, send a box of snacks to each employee.  www.snacknation.com

Holiday Recipe Swap – Ask for recipes from each participant. Organize them by category and then send them out to the whole team.

Holiday Costume Dress-up – Offering a prize to the winner will make it fun.

Holiday Talent Show – For your outgoing employees, participating in a talent show will be fun. Everyone will enjoy watching it. Allow employees to enroll as individuals or in groups. They can perform songs, skits, or whatever else they can imagine. Having a prize for the winner(s) will boost participation.

2020 Roses and Thorns – Invite team members to share a high and low from 2020.

Trivia Contest – There on tons of online trivia sites. www.randomtriviagenerator.com is free.

Scavenger Hunt – To play, call out an item from the list. Whoever grabs the item and returns back to the video call first wins a point. Feel free to add to or change the list.

List:

• • Favorite shoe
  • Favorite sports item
  • Favorite hobby item
  • Something the reminds you of home
  • What you are most tired of seeing in your home
  • Favorite coat
  • Thyme
  • The item you have owned the longest

If you need help with planning your Holiday Office Party or if you have other HR Consulting needs, IgnitionHR can help. Click HERE if you would like to schedule a quick introductory phone call.