Seasonal fun - your guide to virtual parties and more!

It’s nearly that time of year again and many companies are starting to consider how they will bring all of their employees together to celebrate the festivities. In the UK and around the world, Office Christmas Parties are a tradition that is sacrosanct. Employees have worked hard all year and look forward to ‘letting their hair down’ and getting to know each other on a more informal basis - all on the expense account of their boss. What makes great parties are the employees coming together. This is often considered as one of the best ‘team building’ experiences for many staff members and employers. But what happens when you employ a remote team, or many of your colleagues now work from home?

The Virtual Office Party

Online games have been around for several years now, and thanks to the Covid pandemic and ensuing lockdown restrictions, there are now a plethora of companies offering virtual office celebration ideas; from online quizzes to karaoke and mixology classes, there really is something for everyone. Well researched and expertly planned virtual work parties can re-establish team-working in a fun way where everyone can get involved. If you’re looking for 2021 office holiday party ideas, you’ve come to the right place!

There have been so many movies made about the stereotypical bad office party because it resonates with most of us (think ‘Office Christmas Party’ 2016 starring Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston). We’ve all been to one where someone has too much to drink and tells the boss how they really feel, or someone embarrasses themself by declaring their unrequited feelings… Usually there is a lot of alcohol involved, a dodgy DJ and perhaps a buffet of stale, crustless ham and mustard sandwiches with a handful of cheese puffs on the side. Sometimes a company will have ‘pushed the boat out’ and hired a function room at a hotel (which the business will subsequently be banned from due to bad behaviour…) you can see where I'm going with this. This isn’t the reputation your business needs.

Your reputation is at stake

Now that staff are more inclined to work remotely (or perhaps your team is made up exclusively of freelance workers), you may be considering the cost implications of getting everyone in the same place at the same time to bring in the Yule Tide or New Year. Are these workers likely to attend an office party if they have to fund their own travel because they live hundreds of miles away? Can your business afford to prioritise travel costs, along with hiring a venue, entertainment and clean-up for the morning after? It may be time to consider that a virtual worker may indeed prefer the flexibility of a virtual party! There are many virtual office party activities available now and with a little bit of organisation, your business can plan an event to be proud of.

Virtual Office Party Ideas

Working virtually myself, I understand the importance of inclusion and feeling part of a team to strengthen working relationships. Getting to know fellow colleagues can really cultivate bonding and understanding, and what better way to learn more about the people you work with than a Virtual ‘Icebreaker’ Quiz - companies like QuizBreaker offer a ‘curated’ set of personalised questions (which each team member pre-answers) which is a fun way to learn more about each other. Add that to a virtual cocktail masterclass from a company such as The Cocktail Service and you have the beginnings of an entertaining evening! Their gold service includes all of the cocktail ingredients and a 7-piece cocktail making kit for every team member to use, whilst a top-rated mixologist takes you through the class using video conferencing software.

Hire Space is one of the UK’s leading Virtual Experience providers which can offer your team many tasty culinary delights delivered to their doors ready to enjoy together - from a Charcuterie and Wine hamper (for the sophisticated) or a virtual ‘expert lead’ Beer and Cheese tasting session (for the down to earth). They can even offer a virtual Christmas Wreath Making Workshop or Festive Cookery Class (for the creative!)

A personal recommendation is a company called Chilli Sauce who offer some fantastic alternative entertainment ideas, such as a virtual Murder Mystery or virtual Bear Grylls Survival! Consider a virtual Den of Dragons (for your sales department), or a virtual Race Through Space (for your more athletic employees!)

How does it work? Your virtual staff holiday party plan of action:

● Usually, virtual events are pre-prepared evenings curated to individual tastes and requirements. Choose your virtual office party theme and book your entertainment packages (if applicable from third-party providers), along with pre-ordering drinks or catering (ensure you check the lead-times too).

● Virtual parties can be as formal or informal as you like. An email invitation containing a diary entry with a virtual link is an ideal way to ensure everyone is in the right place at the right time. Microsoft Teams, Skype or Zoom are the most popular places to host a virtual party.

● Include information about the evening’s entertainment and a schedule for the events to ensure that participants can pace themselves! You don’t want to wear them out too quickly with a virtual trivial pursuit!

● Make sure to provide details to RSVP (or an automatic button to accept or decline the invitation) and ensure your guests provide:

○ Details of any special assistance

○ Dietary requirements/allergies

○ Address to send any drinks/catering

● Assign a virtual ’host’ for the evening to allow entry to the video conferencing (think remote desktop support). It’s a good idea to set up a password entry or entry via a link to stop unwanted guests from spoiling the fun.

● At the agreed time your guests will arrive at the virtual party. It’s a good idea to have your host monitor the virtual events and be the referee, especially if there are quizzes with prizes (we all know someone who gets a bit too competitive!)

● Video conferencing software (such as Zoom) allows you to host team members in different ‘breakout rooms’. These can be utilised for smaller specialist groups or if there are multiple activities taking place at the same time.

● After the event is a great opportunity to get feedback from the team - what went well and what could have been improved. Discover more about your team and what is important to them so you can tailor their experience for future events.

If this all sounds like a bit too much to coordinate, of course there are Virtual Administrators or Virtual Assistants like me who can plan everything for you before sending out the email invitation link to your team members, and even act as your host for the evening to ensure everything runs to plan. It's important to ascertain the demographics of the group, along with their likes, dislikes and any dietary requirements. It may be that you know your team will appreciate beer and pizza whilst taking part in a virtual ‘Pub Quiz’ before virtual karaoke kicks off - what is important is that it brings people together and it says, ‘Thank you’.

Corporate Gifting

Being thankful isn’t just about saying the words - sometimes it’s about showing how much your employees, clients and suppliers mean to you - sincerely. Traditional gift ideas include business branded notebooks, pens, calendars and coffee mugs, but do these really convey how much you appreciate them? The British Gift Co. offer not only gifts to accompany your virtual office party games, but they offer branded hamper baskets, gift boxes full of festive delights and specialist hampers containing inclusive and thoughtful dietary-requirement-friendly, non-alcoholic, or vegan options too.

Being a great employer isn’t always about rewarding people financially - it’s often about the small details which make an employee (or freelance worker) feel appreciated and part of the family. Taking the time to plan a bespoke event or gift can really make an individual feel valued, and these corporate gifts and virtual work party ideas are just an example of how you can achieve this. You know what ‘they’ say - a happy employee is a productive employee!

This is a taste of some of the services available - there are dozens more! I offer a complete virtual planning service to help you arrange the perfect tailor-made package for your workforce; from remote work party ideas, zoom office party ideas or to help you find that special gift. Please contact me today for a free consultation.

Thanks for reading!