.jpg?sfvrsn=fdea97a3_2 "Remote Holiday Party")
Dec 9, 2020
This holiday season is going to be different than years past. People are arranging smaller outdoor or socially distant gatherings, people are doing much more online shopping, and people will have to listen to holiday music on their phones as opposed to in person at concerts and events. Another thing that’s going to have to change is the holiday office party.
A lot of people look forward to the holiday office party all year long. It’s a great opportunity for some socializing and bonding with your colleagues outside of work. Many offices are still working remotely, and even if they aren’t, it will be difficult to throw a safe holiday office party in person.
Deciding to make the holiday office party remote, however, does not mean that it won’t be fun. You just need to be a little creative and not expect it to be the same as an in-person party. Here are five tips that will help you throw a fun remote holiday party for your office:
Unlike a party in person, you can’t just leave everyone to talk to each other. I’m sure we’ve all done enough remote meetings by now to know how chaotic it can get if there is more than one conversation going on. So while an in-person office party may be able to happen organically, there needs to be a plan in place for a remote party. The party needs to focus on one conversation, game, or activity at a time.
There are a ton of activities that are a lot of fun in virtual parties. Try a game like holiday bingo or an activity like gingerbread house wars where everyone makes a gingerbread house at the same time, and you all share your houses with each other in the end. You can do a virtual Secret Santa gift exchange where everyone mails each other gifts beforehand, but you all wait to open them together at the party. For more ideas for fun activities and games, have a look at this list of 32 fun ideas for virtual holiday parties.
A lot of employees have families that might not be too thrilled about them having what looks like another remote meeting after work hours. It might be a good idea to do the party during work hours or to involve family members. When planning your holiday party, you want to take all of your employees into consideration and plan a party that works for everyone.
It may feel a little cheesy to have a “moderator” for a party, but it’s the best way to keep the party organized. The host can pay attention to each employee and make sure they are being included in the conversation. Many games may need someone to fill that role as well. It will make the party go much more smoothly if there is one person leading the experience.
It’s a great idea to book a musician, a comedian, a magician, or another type of entertainer. Many entertainers are looking for bookings as 2020 has not been kind to them with shows and performances on pause. Having someone perform can give everyone a chance to take a breather, and it works really well for a remote party because it gives everyone one person to focus on.
One thing to consider before you have a virtual office party is your cybersecurity. You wouldn’t want someone to hack your party. For tips on how to make sure your party is safe for everyone, have a look at our blog post offering tips for making your video meetings more secure.
