Gift cards allow people to purchase whatever they want from their favorite brands. Because honestly, everyone expects the managers and leaders to be bossy and unreachable. Virtual talent shows work best when there is a predetermined act order and an emcee to manage the flow. Theyve asked us what charities wed recommend. Employees respond to appreciation expressed by recognizing their good work because it confirms that their work is valued by others. Revamp your break room. When showtime arrives, gather on a Zoom call. Angela has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and worked as a community manager with Yelp to plan events for businesses. Or, if you hold virtual escape rooms or similar games, then include puzzles. The care packages were tailored for each individual, and they included self-care items such as cozy socks, chocolate, herbal tea, craft kits, puzzles, books, and board games. Reading a book on the sofa is a cozy way to get in the Christmas spirit. Here are a few examples. One such example that predates COVID-19 (if you follow our newsletter, you already know that it's a personal favorite of mine) is the Be My Eyes app. Its hard to replicate daily interactions with co-workers, casual encounters by the water cooler, or after-work drinks, but we are encouraging our employees to find time for virtual coffees, lunches, or even happy hours with their colleagues. - William Taylor, Career Development Manager at Velvetjobs, Something that has really helped us keep spirits up is our Slack 'meme' channel where we encourage everyone to post the best memes they find throughout the day. Then there will be a contest with prizes for best house, most creative house, house that looks like the before pic on a HGTV show, etc. Keeping a workplace safe during the COVID-19 pandemic can be challenging. Things to consider when you and your employees travel 4. Social Media is the biggest influencer of our generation. WeAreTeachers Staff on September 20, 2022. Children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years need at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity daily. Not to mention there's the option of booking an entertainer - choices include singer Jimmy Barnes and comedy duo Hamish and Andy - to spice up a webcam-based party. Some are great artists, while some spend their time doing charity work. When you think about having a great company culture, you think about building trust, honesty, and a great team of workers. Here are 15 office ideas for Halloween: 1. For example, hold a Zoom ugly sweater contest, host a virtual Secret Santa or white elephant gift exchange, and sing Christmas carols. Simply designate a theme for each day or meeting, then choose the best dressed for each category. Not my cup of tea but a lot of people seemed to like it! InDirect Report, she spotlights themes from her inbox that help explain the modern workplace and how we could be navigating it better. The effectiveness of office snacks is that major companies like Google use them as a perk to attract the top employees. Check the COVID-19 page on your city or county website to find out if you can sign up to offer your time this way. Keep employees engaged and excited with some friendly competition. Recommended Article: 25 Employee Engagement Activities To Reinvent Your Workforce. An escape room Escape room activities are available virtually and in person. What Readers Want During COVID-19: Content Ideas for Every Niche. Ask each person to share one word to describe how they are feeling in that moment. Streaming service subscriptions. Wool socks, very plushy fleece blankets, playing cards, mugs, etc. The packages were delivered to our doors in the afternoon of our event. Daily Dose of Kindness (sent daily) Weekly Kindness Idea (sent weekly) General Newsletter (for everyone) General Newsletter (for educators) It was a huge hit, and we're already scheduled another! - Ryan Law, Content Strategist at Animalz, We sent care packages to our employees homes to help them adjust to remote work. Student Engagement: Spirit Weeks A number of schools and school districts have done weekly challenges where students participate in a themed activity, take a picture or video of it, and then upload and tag it with a specific hashtag so that the community can find, enjoy, and celebrate it with them. 2022 Alle rechten voorbehouden. Typical spirit weeks involve decorating contests. Simple ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in your workplace 2. Trivia can be a good way to help teams relax, inspire conversation and build relationships. For instance, take their opinion during decisions like on-boarding new technology or a specific project. The Town of Wake Forest and the Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources Department want you to stay safe during the current COVID-19 pandemic by honoring Wake County's stay at home order. Recommended Article: Gift Cards Make For The Perfect Employee Rewards. Online board games or trivia challenges are a great way to bring a team together for something besides work. Better still, if this praise comes in front of their team members, colleagues, and peers. School spirit week is a fun time for everyone to come together and show off their pride. Remote teams often work on staggered schedules, meaning that the whole crew may not be available at game time. The best online spirit week ideas unite dispersed teammates, encourage interaction, and inspire fun. Namely's powerful HR Software is built for mid-sized companies designed to be used by everyone, every day. 1. Theme Days. But when you thank them for their efforts, it can be a heart-melting moment to inspire respect for you and the business. This will make them feel like a part of your business and not just a mere employee. Wishing you and your team health and tranquility. Some ideas for your 30-minute morning check-ins include: One-Word Check-ins. There are many fun online activities that suit an international or travel-themed spirit week or spirit day. Consider sending your top ten performers off for a day or two at a spa to provide an incentive for continued outstanding performance. With these 33 employee appreciation ideas, you will see reduced turnover and retain your top talents. Spirit weeks often involve games. Sometimes the best thing you can do for your team is to enable them to let off some steam without the pressure to perform. Without a doubt, getting a specially curated box of snacks will make employees feel happy and contented. Each act should be around five minutes. Participate in the Boost Educators Challenge Encourage each student's family to challenge the rest of your school's families to give their teacher (s) a shout out or thank you over the school's social channels. Employees who want to learn about new tools, techniques, or topics but have less time on their hands will consider it a fabulous opportunity. This is a stressful time to say the least. SWAG stands for "stuff we all get." The best thing about birthdays is cake. Learn how to set new boundaries, ask for support, and re-strategize with your partner about what you need. Yet now is a time when communication actually needs to be ramped up. Its common knowledge that people love gift cards. Simply schedule a Zoom meeting and ask attendees to join from an outdoor spot such as backyards, parks, or beaches. Sally can whip up a variety of cold meals, including salads, grain bowls and yogurt. 3. During the call, participants can chat and play fun games, or co-work while enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. But with 29% of Americans reporting that they never drink alcohol, it is time for businesses to think of more inclusive activities. With higher motivation comes better engagement, happiness, and ultimately retention. Once the awards end, you can email digital certificates and e-gift cards to recipients, or mail trophies and paper awards to their houses. Offering a corporate wellness program within a vibrant culture of thriving well-being can significantly enhance that connection. So far, people have hosted presentations on their favorite hobby, sports team, family, the country they come from, favorite food, favorite lockdown activity, etc. Do I really have to go at all? We gathered the top employee morale tips, tricks, and ideas from businesses around the world. We safeguard your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy. With trick-or-treating officially considered a high-risk activity, you may be scrambling to find something for your little goblins to do on the 31st. Getting your own parking space is a highly coveted idea to really recognize your employees for doing a great job. Real world elements make virtual exercises more engaging and interactive. Home tours are a fun way for remote teammates to invite each other into personal spaces. Your team can decorate their jack-o'-lanterns during break, lunch, or while you hold a team meeting. Employee appreciation is the cornerstone of developing a robust and meaningful workplace culture. I didnt even stay until the end and used half the amount of tequila in my margarita because Im not used to drinking, but it was a lot of fun, we all learned something and had a good laugh. Mask up. If you have to be indoors, consider air flow. Have regular check ins with individual team members. There is no discussion in this exercise, it is simply a way for team members to connect with how others are feeling in the moment. These events can help virtual offices grow closer. It was a lot of fun! - Stephen J. Kontos, Founder & CEO at PatentXP PLLC, We keep employee morale high by sending out thank you notes to our employees currently working from home. You might find that employee appreciation becomes a tad bit easier and a whole lot more fun. Finally going on a picnic with their loved ones. Weve found that this is key to recreating that Friday feeling during lockdown. - Nushy Rose, Managing Editor at Parlia. You could either give employees the option of attending short 10-15 minute workouts throughout the day, or hold one or two longer sessions. We also included some essential office supplies to ensure our employees have everything they need to work remotely. - Stuart Cook, Marketing Manager at My Baggage, My company recently delivered a care package to all employees with a mix of fun and useful items. Share funny videos, do some riddles and brainsteasers, put music on in the background. Ask your remote team members to describe their day so far with an emoji or a string of emojis. These morning check-ins, no matter how short are invaluable for maintaining a sense of community, checking in on how team members are doing, and to stay focused on key priorities so that momentum and performance is maintained. Inject Fun and Humor. Experiences, not cash, are the new corporate bonus. Get the latest news from Namely about HR, Payroll, and Benefits. Also, of the cocktails on offer, there were a few non-alcoholic punch ideas, for people who dont drink or who wanted to share with a kid, etc. Book an Airbnb virtual experience. In uncertain times, one thing is certain with fundraisingthe more you plan, the better off you will be. It means that they can catch up on the countless movies that they have missed. Although workplace benefits help keep employees happy, they rarely tend to spark inspiration. Whether you're looking for help communicating COVID safety guidelines to your guests, searching for face masks for couples and guests (so you can look stylish while complying with guidelines from the WHO and CDC) or are in need of a cute social distancing sign, we've got you covered (literally! Take off your coat. One idea that keeps popping up on our Principal Life Facebook group is the concept of a virtual theme week. Coffee or tea tastings work as well: We had a virtual coffee tasting where they sent those who RSVPd a free AeroPress and some coffees and had a coffee expert walk them through the different kinds over Zoom. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Legal. If your office normally does Secret Santa or Yankee Swap gift exchanges, you can keep it going this year too. Sometimes, the utmost appreciation that an employee seeks is a promotion in his job role. Teammates can vote using the poll feature in your video meeting platform, and you can send the winner a prize. It becomes less of a break and more of a disappointment. Here is our take on enhancing employee motivation with the below 33 exceptional employee appreciation ideas. It offers employees a brief respite from their daily work. Successful fundraising during a recession is two-pronged: Focus hard on donor engagement and retention, and Regardless of your age, some physical activity is better than none. There's a lot you can do to be helpful from home. The events should also not take too long to do. Trivia leaders can create questions and teams can decide on their favorite themes or trivia topics. Outdoor days are one of the best summer spirit week ideas for work. As the coronavirus continues to spread and confine people largely to their homes, many are filling pages with their experiences of living through a pandemic. Wellness Resources There are numerous free crossword creating apps, and all you need to do is share the linkso easy and so fun! - Mira Rakicevic, Co-founder at Comfy Living. Hands-on Experiences: 1. Throughout the evening or afternoon, read awards off one by one, and give each winner 30 seconds to give a victory speech. All contents 2023 The Slate Group LLC. They are great team members. Some "lush" couches. You can take the first step in promoting the importance of health. Check out our list of the best online murder mysteries. Remote teams can dress up for remote meetings, even if their outfits wont be on display all day. For three hours per week, staff can sign off anytime during the workday for rest and wellbeing, no questions asked. Barasha can be found either searching for interesting HR buzzwords to write about or looking at pictures of cozy Bel Air mansions. Spirit week attendees can either make their own backgrounds using Canva or Photoshop, or can download one from online. In times of isolation it can be very difficult to stay on top of where everyone is at. Quarantine spirit week consisted of a unique theme for each day: skater Sunday, monochromatic Monday, tie-dye Tuesday, wig Wednesday, 13 going on Thursday and casual Friday. He expressed that business leaders need to develop a structured and approach to mentoring. Few people are as knee-deep in our work-related anxieties and sticky office politics as Alison Green, who has been fielding workplace questions for a decade now on her website Ask a Manager. You could either ask team members to pre-record videos, give the tour live during a Zoom meeting, or upload photos to a shared album. You signed up for your preferred one beforehand and received a list of ingredients, then once the drinks were made, people came back to the big room and there were a couple of facilitated games and stuff (like trivia). Recommended Article: Top 102 Employee Recognition Quotes To Celebrate Their Endeavours. Find out how to attract and retain your employees through their entire lifecycle. 4. A dynamic host facilitates this 90 minute virtual team building event with a trusty virtual sidekick. Meetings and frequent check-ins both with the whole team and individual team members need to sit at the top of your to-do list. According to Harvard Business Review writer Anthony K. TJan: Company leadership should embrace, promote and value mentoring programs to realize a return on investment. Some employees even showcased their talents liveranging from musical performances to cake baking to cat training. Virtual spirit weeks are weeklong events that consist of a series of fun and interactive online activities. In order to position your company as one where people really want to work, your company SWAG items had better reflect that. To begin with, publicly recognizing great employees reflects well on your company for customers, investors, and your team. If you work in an industry where teamwork is crucial, sudden orders to . All online escape rooms inspire teamwork and critical thinking in a fun and exciting way. Gift ideas ranged, but included orchids, stay-at-home picnic baskets, family dinners, bookstore gift cards, and fancy coffee! - Nicole Canulla, Head of Marketing & Communications at DUST Identity, What I've found very engaging and will definitely continue to use even after we're no longer remote is Donut. Spirit weeks build ties with community Over the course of this week, schools will ask students and staff to do activities such as share TikTok videos, do workouts and share pictures wearing. The charm of subscription boxes is that theres something for everyone! Some good virtual spirit week ideas include virtual talent shows, Zoom spirit week backgrounds, online award shows, and theme days. 17 Ways to Boost Employee Morale During COVID-19 That Arent Happy Hours, celebrate employee milestones virtually here, general tricks for managing your remote workforce here. Were working with local restaurants (some minority-owned) to provide cold reheatable family meals that our employees will take home to enjoy with their family. You will see that a few words of appreciation can do wonders for the workplace. You can also offer a myriad of health benefits. Were all pretty pumped about it. We have these events called campfires that take place twice a week. Click here to find out how. It all started with a group chat. Develop team norms. Attempt a self portrait with pencil and paper. You could either play a facilitated murder mystery where a host guides the game and gives out clues, or follow a script for a self-guided murder mystery. Names were swapped, wish lists were made, and gifts from small businesses were delivered to friends and families! 1. Communication in remote teams, whether casual chats or work related discussions, cant easily happen as spontaneously as it does when people are sitting next to each other at work. Their office is infused with fun, including random Razor scooters available to any staff who think better while in motion. You could even hold contests to name and reward the best virtual backgrounds for each meeting. The lobby at Googles Sydney office makes visitors feel like theyre about to embark on a safari expedition rather than drown in a concrete jungle. Keep Little Hands Busy. Clear your schedule for at least an hour. After face masks, custom hand sanitizers are the next health and safety giveaway idea on our list. For example, new employees should receive a buddy to learn the ropes. Or it just might be a beautiful day to sleep in. But employees with a few years of experience should be matched with a career mentor to help them grow in their position. Check out more more aboutonline retreat ideas. The consulting group McKinsey & Co. surveyed 1,000 employers , and 90 percent reported that the pandemic was affecting the behavioral health of their employees. The thing that giants like Google and Airbnb have understood is that the physical environment of the office matters. Simmonds was blown away by . From open enrollment to building a benefits package, we've got you covered. Make it a fun and memorable experience. It's not only a nice little project to focus on, but gives us something to talk about that's not work or coronavirus. These activities broaden employees global and cultural horizons while also delighting the teams travel lovers. It can be scheduled ahead of time or impromptu, just like you might invite a team member to grab a coffee with you while walking by their desk. The intensive schedule prevents routine responsibilities from interrupting the fun, and permits employees to focus on recharging and team bonding. Taking care of your employees' health is the most prominent form of appreciation that you can show. Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus, This is a BETA experience. In stock now. As much as we'd like for things to be "business as usual" this holiday, planning for Christmas 2021 requires a little more work to keep guests happy and healthy. While Valentine's Day will most likely look different than years past, you can still have fun with your significant other and make it memorable and safe. The purpose of online spirit weeks is to boost employee engagement and morale. Beyond bestowing traditional awards like extraordinary performance, team player, or rookie of the year, you can also create fun award categories. Offering extra time off pretty much never goes amiss, especially at this time of year: In lieu of bonuses and parties and all sorts of things, my employer is just closing for the week in between Christmas and New Years and giving everyone the time offits been a hit, because thats usually a huge use of vacation days for folks. Team Norms. Here is an example of a graphic you could use for your games. You might feel anxious about: Your own safety and the safety of others. ). Learn more about virtual costume contests. To establish team norms, ask: What behaviors and practices are most important right now to our teams effectiveness?. Teammates could also give a short slideshow presentation of their home cities. 4 Ways A Single Word Has The Power To Positively Change Your Perspective, 8 Ways To Create Certainty Amid Current Workplace Uncertainty, Why Accountability Is At The Core Of Stewardship Delegation, 5 Ways To Grow Your Personal Brand As A Content Creator, Why We Need To Make Every Day Employee Appreciation Day, In A Competitive Job Market, Heres How To Win The Interview, 5 Tips To Recession-Proof Your Career And Bullet-Proof Your Security. I thought this was a great way for the company to show its appreciation for staff, and it provided us with plenty of new recipes to try out just in time for the weekend. - Adam Lumb, EN Site Manager at Cashcow, One of our perks is that we give employees up to an hour each day to do something positive for their physical or mental health, such as going on a walk, reading a book, taking an exercise class, or doing a meditation (no admin or work allowed!). Talking about making employees feel valued, a great way to do so is by involving them in the decision-making process, wherever possible. You can even display this social media recognition on your offices digital displays to make sure the whole team sees it. Remote teammates can enjoy a show while learning more about coworkers special skills and abilities. And of course folks could also just log off if they wanted to, with no pressure to spend the rest of the day working. To set the mood, you can encourage attendees to dress up and don fancy virtual backgrounds. 33 Amazing Employee Appreciation Ideas [2023 Update], The Ultimate Guide To Employee Rewards and Recognition, 50 Best Words of Appreciation for Employees, Gift Cards Make For The Perfect Employee Rewards, Indias Largest Telecom Company Boosts their Global Employee Engagement with Vantage Rewards, 25 Employee Engagement Activities To Reinvent Your Workforce, 25 Employee Recognition Statistics You Shouldn't Ignore, Top 102 Employee Recognition Quotes To Celebrate Their Endeavours, 23 Awesome Ways To Make Every Employee Work Anniversary Memorable, All You Need To Know About Sales Incentive Programs In 2023, 10 Intrinsic Rewards That Your Employees Look Forward To, Empower the Workforce With A Culture of Peer-to-Peer Recognition. 3 Ways Tech Company Sysomos Transformed Employee Experience, 5 Tips to Implement Summer Work Schedules, 6 Design Ideas to Create an Inspiring Work Environment. You can celebrate the spirit of a challenge in your Spirit Week by hosting a Versus Day. So, it's essential to consider this less of an idea and more of a thing that you have to do eventually. When you incorporate social media into your online spirit week scheduling, you make it easier for colleagues to find and friend each other. to Launch During a Pandemic. We have 30+ experiences to choose from, and thousands of five star reviews. of 70-75% ethyl alcohol. Then, send invites to the team. Our division is doing a holiday drive-in movie and renting out a drive-in theater for the evening. The second event is a winter wreath demo where again supplies are sent to peoples houses and you can follow along with the demo and put a non-denominational winter wreath together. Some ideas include: Characters from a favorite movie Most employees love to learn, and taking a virtual class together is a terrific spirit week idea. Or, you can use an app like Donut to match up opponents, and pairs can play games instead of scheduling a video chat. About how his/her contributions have aided to a projects successful completion. Then, after that, we had the opportunity to go into breakout roomslast year, one room did Schitts Creek trivia (it was a favorite among many staffers), another did Pictionary using the annotate functions of Zoom. Mention about their desirable quirks like always being on time or such. Challengers can play the games directly in the channel, or via direct message. A crisis like this can either break ateamdown and widen any cracks in its foundation, or it canresult in the emergence of true greatness. 7. You can even snap a photo and create your own hashtag for when employees achieve something especially commendable. Why not put a reminder in your diary when you plan to finish working? Many a time, they'll bring that positivity and enthusiasm back to the workplace. We also had a really strict limit for spending, like $20. Recommended Article: The Ultimate Guide To Employee Rewards and Recognition. This will allow team members to truly appreciate each other, leading to better team building. Content Expert at teambuilding.com. I think that well continue doing this even after the pandemic is goneits such a cool way to learn more about the people you work with every day. - Dennis Vu, CEO and Co-founder of Ringblaze, We hired a magician to put on a virtual magic show for our staff, clients, and vendors to watch with their families. Why not expend the effort necessary to retain the staff that you have already painfully recruited and hired? Ask each person to share one word to describe how they are feeling in. E-Learning is the preferred modern way to upskill and learn while having the convenience of choosing the when and where. We regularly share the progress our sunflowers are making. When Kirkman first had the idea, she posted about it in her social club Facebook group and on her Instagram story, in case a few close friends wanted to join. Throwing a virtual holiday party is one of the best Christmas spirit week ideas for work. You could even give teammates a prompt per day, like show us your fridge, or share your favorite spot in the house. This activity helps remote teammates learn more about each other, and may reveal shared interests and common ground. Celebrated on the first Friday in March, it pays homage to each employee's contribution to their company. When an employee above and beyond on a project at work or accomplishes a personal goal, give them a shoutout on social media to commend their hard work. Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best ones. Declaring theme days is one of the easiest spirit week ideas for work from home. The team that plays together bonds better. Either way, ask participants to record results by posting them to the channel in a @WIN/@LOSS format.

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