Build Morale and Wellness During Your Virtual Holiday Celebrations

Each year employees look forward to celebrating with one another and getting together outside of work to have fun and relax. Casual celebrations also give organizations the ability to summarize all the great accomplishments of teams and announce goal achievements and new feats accomplished.

However, this year will be different. Coming together isn’t really an option and many companies struggled. But it doesn’t have to stop you from celebrating your accomplishments and making your employees feel appreciated.

Hosting a virtual team bonding or holiday party may seem daunting. How can you plan a successful gathering online?

Here are some ways to celebrate your team this holiday season:

Put in Some Strong Organization and Hype Up the Gathering

This seems like a no-brainer, but now that things have become virtual, it seems to create a “hurried” feeling. If employees feel that something was thrown together last minute, they may not be as excited to attend.

Most in-person holiday parties (from years past) have taken months to plan, to get the location, send out save-the-dates, gather RSVPs, order the catering, set up the space, order some entertainment, etc. Even though they know this year will be different, consider those are the celebrations employees have come to expect.

Make sure you still put a good amount of planning behind the holiday party, spread the word early and get employees excited. You know who your influential employees are, make sure you work with them and continue to spread the word.

Create an Interactive Space

Virtual gatherings can be difficult sometimes. When more than one person talks, no one can hear anything. If no one is on mute, all the background noise become deafening. Find smart and fun ways to get everyone involved.

• Have smaller gatherings.
  2020 may be the year to provide budgets for each group/department have their own smaller celebration. A team of 5-20 can be more easily managed virtually so that everyone can feel like they are participating.
• Plan time blocks for announcements and round-robin style games.
  If a lot of the people in the virtual holiday celebration know one another, having an ice breaker could seem silly, but playing a game like creating a selfie-meme for a phrase or two truths and a lie can be fun for even the closest teams. There are also lots of virtual games your team can enjoy. With all the fun, also make sure employees and goals are recognized and celebrated.
• Send something physical.
  It’s the holidays and what is better than receiving a gift in the mail? If you send something to employees with the directions not to open the gift until the party, it will help your employees feel special and encourage them to join the party so they can open their gift on camera.

Remember to Recognize All the Positive Things That Have Happened this Year

2020 has been a struggle for everyone, but being thankful is important, even for the little things. It helps your employees feel appreciated and lets employees know how the company is evolving during these struggling times.

• Include messages from the executive team (live-streaming is best)
• Announce achievements and changes that have occurred over the year
• Recognize employees for accomplishments
• Provide information on future goals
• Be transparent with employees about what is coming next
• Celebrate everyone who has worked so hard this year

Focus on Wellness

This year has been hard on everyone, employees, companies, large businesses, small businesses, and using the holiday time to help focus on your teams’ wellness is important. Even during the best years, there is a decrease in mental wellness during the holidays. This year over half the country is saying their mental wellness has been negatively impacted. Use your virtual celebrations as a time to redirect and reconnect. Incorporate wellness tools like yoga, deep breathing, meditation and self-care into your time together.

While it may not feel like a celebration year, these team bonding activities can do wonders for your employees and the organization as a whole. Remember, Santa’s still watching, so make sure you take the time to celebrate and enjoy.