Many workplaces have been shifted online recently. While it has increased employees’ productivity and reduced costs for office spaces, employees can feel isolated due to a lack of interactions with others. Here we will discuss some virtual employee events that any organization can host effectively.
Employees need to connect and engage with one another effectively to communicate and collaborate. Several activities can be introduced to icebreaking, team-building, and recognizing employees. Here are some examples:
- Online gaming
- Pixel arts
- Team building bingo
- Guess the shape
- Sending care packages to employees, etc.
Let’s discuss them in detail:
Online Gaming
Online gaming is one of the brilliant ways that organization leaders can utilize as an icebreaker and team-building measure. A number of multiplayer online games are now available, and they require unique strategies.
These games allow employees to connect with others in the organization. They may not work in the same team while doing organizational work. However, when they have to work together as a team while online gaming, they will learn more about each other and can bring new perspectives and ideas to the organization. Online gaming is one of the most fun virtual employee engagement events.
The game should be chosen according to the preferences of the employees. If the game requires employees to work in different teams, randomly choosing teammates should be preferable. It will allow employees to know each other better and learn where they excel.
This measure can also bring out some unexpected talent in the employees. Thus, the organization can utilize its employees’ talents more efficiently.
Pixel Art
If organizations are looking for encouraging competitive spirit, pixel art competition can be one of the excellent methods to demonstrate along with employees’ creativity.
Most organizations need to use spreadsheets (Google Sheets, MS Excel) in their day-to-day workflow. But, these sheets can also be used to create pixel art.
There are specific codes in these sheets that can convert numbers and fill the box with a specific color. When those codes are used, almost any picture can be painted on the spreadsheet.
Leaders can claim small rewards for the best pixel arts generated by different teams of the organization. It will allow employees to communicate with each other while creating excellent arts to demonstrate their artist spirit.
Some employees may face difficulties in this manner if they are not handy with spreadsheets. So, companies can introduce different difficulty levels to make it easier and allow employees to learn about spreadsheets.
Team Building Bingo
Virtual meetings are a common occurrence when organizations have remote workers. Also, there are some common occurrences in those meetings. Organizations can take this opportunity to introduce team building bingo.
Every one of us has experienced delayed replays due to speakers being mute or interruptions in meetings due to interventions of one of the family members. Leaders can generate a simple bingo board with these incidents.
Whenever one of those incidents occurs, employees mark those boxes, and when they fill up a line, they can yell “Bingo.”
Distributing prizes is optional in this activity. This activity is fun and also allows leaders to find out about incidents that disrupt a meeting. Therefore, leaders can take appropriate measures to reduce those incidents.
Guess the Shape
One of the primary problems in many virtual teams is not understanding other team members properly. With this game, employees can elevate their communication skills and understanding of each other.
In this measure, one of the employees will be the describer and others will be artists. The speaker will use a random image generator to find a suitable image and describe it to others to help them draw the picture.
There can be some guidelines to help or restrict the description of the speaker. For example, the speaker may only use geometric shapes to describe the picture and guide others to draw the picture.
The artists can use a virtual pad or drawing books to draw the picture. When all artists are done drawing, they will show their art to each other. Then the speaker will decide who went close and show the picture they started with.
It will enhance the speaker’s communication skills while helping artists to interpret information and be an overall fun experience.
Sending Care Packages to Employees
Another great idea for companies to build a sense of community is to send care packages to employees. It will make employees feel valued and make them more engaged with the company.
Organizations can have different products that their employees want to have. In some cases, they can make it turn into a fun experience as well.
For example, organizations can send employees different blends of tea and coffee and ask for opinions during a meeting. Some organizations have utilized virtual campfires by sending employees s’more ingredients and a tealight candle.
This whole event will give employees a good vibe and make employees more engaged with the organization.
Bottom Line
While virtual employee events have been fairly new, their importance cannot be denied in any way. It helps organizations build a better, stronger, and more engaged team to help the organizations thrive.
Integrating online recognition platforms with online workplaces can be an excellent idea for organizations. This way, leaders can easily measure the necessary metrics and introduce innovative virtual activities for better team-building opportunities.
