Culture-building events, delivered online
Team building events have always been an essential part of company culture to help foster collaboration and boost employee morale. Whether it was a happy hour or movie night, in the pre-COVID world, offices were home to many team events year-round. One study found that employers are encouraging or requiring 88 percent of Americans to work from home because of COVID-19. With this shift, offices across the country have closed and in-person team-building events are no longer taking place. But that doesn’t mean they have to be cancelled altogether.
Working from home poses a number of challenges for employees, which is why many businesses are pivoting their team activities to the virtual world. Another research study found that 45 percent of American adults say the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their mental health, with 19 percent reporting that it has had a “major impact.” It was also recently reported that long-term remote work is leading to a global drop in productivity. US employees specifically are leading the pack both in terms of the amount still working remotely, and productivity declines; overall productivity has dropped by 14%. This drop in motivation to work and productivity has created a need to help boost employee morale. It’s believed that when done right, virtual events can improve employee morale, productivity, and creativity. Now more than ever, it’s more important to keep morale and culture strong by allowing culture-building events to live on.
Here are some types of team-building events that our clients have seen success hosting.
Virtual happy hour
Organizing a virtual happy hour isn’t too complex or time consuming. The idea of a digital happy hour, like the ones you probably held in your office, is to get people to relax together over a drink and some food. Consider providing each employee a budget for food and drinks so everyone can order and enjoy together. A virtual happy hour is a great, informal way to connect with co-workers and unplug from the day-to-day grind.
Digital game night
There are many games that were staples for in-person trivia nights, and it’s now possible to enjoy all these games virtually. And better yet, keep team spirits alive by hosting trivia nights with your teammates. A digital game night is one way to enjoy an evening of games and friendly banter with colleagues.
Virtual lunch-and-learns
Lunch-and-learn programs are great for completing training as a group, attending a seminar together, or engaging in some other educational pursuit. In these digital times, you can plan a lunch-and-learn around topics such as mental health, staying positive, and fitness. Lunch-and-learns, whether remote or in-person, are great for team building and prevent employees from feeling isolated or alone. By attending corporate learning experiences team members feel part of the company.
A step-by-step guide to organizing your virtual events
Now that you’ve got an overview of the different kinds of culture-building virtual events you can host for your teams, how about some information on how to actually put the events together? Here’s a step-by-step guide.
1. Create a guest list and budget (by teams, departments, etc.)
This first step is particularly important, as the number of people has an impact on the type of event as well as the budget. For example, to throw a happy hour where everyone will be engaged, the group should not exceed 20 people. Alternatively, a lunch and learn could include hundreds of team members.
2. Select a team member to act as host
You want to be as inclusive as possible. Allowing team members to be the host (a task that can be rotated between employees) keeps them engaged and committed to ensuring the event is a success. Host duties involve sending out invites, welcoming guests to the virtual call, acting as a mediator during the event, and being the point of contact if people encounter issues.
3. Choose a virtual platform
How do you know which platform to use? Firstly, you’ll want a platform that allows video sharing, provides a grid feature when you can see all participants patched into the call, and allows as many people as you want to invite to participate. If you already have a platform where you host regular work meetings, this is probably your best bet.
4. Establish date and time and invite the team
Set clear start and end times for the team activity. One hour is more than enough – exceeding this length results in most people becoming distracted. It’s better to host a short event that will make people look forward to the next one. Once you have the date and time sorted out, send out an email inviting the team.
5. Cement the event with food
Regardless of the type of culture-building event you’re organizing, it is best practice to provide employees with some food as a treat. Consider partnering with a company like Grubhub Corporate to easily extend meal credits so your team can order delivery ahead of time to be enjoyed during the event. It is, after all, a social gathering, and what gathering is complete without some drinks and food? One event company even found that food is the second most important factor people consider when deciding to attend any type of event.
Take your virtual events to a new level with a Grubhub Corporate account
With a Grubhub Corporate account, you can make your culture-building activities unique, engaging, and fun. Host your events on a recurring basis and offer employees a meal budget each time. Whether you’re planning a two-person meeting or a company-wide experience, Grubhub can provide a meal that brings everyone to the table for your virtual event. Companies across the nation are leveraging Grubhub as a simple, efficient, and cost-effective way to add a meal component. Grubhub allows employees and guests to easily order meals from top local restaurants through our national network, while streamlining the billing and expense process. Nothing brings people together like good food and great company.
Want to learn more about how a Grubhub Corporate account can take your virtual events to the next level?
