Are you looking for engaging ideas and activities to boost employee morale and foster virtual team cheer?

With many offices remaining closed and employees working remotely, the holiday season is shaping up to be fully virtual. From digital Halloween celebrations to virtual New Years parties, work-related celebrations will be spent online.

Companies are working to keep spirits high and boost morale with their remote employees by showing they care, and by hosting virtual holiday events to help foster team cheer. If you are searching for ideas on how to digitally celebrate holidays like Halloween, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or New Years, you’re in the right place.

Set a clear policy around work hours

It is important to set clear working hours as the holiday season approaches. Let the team know that they are free to take days off and enjoy quality time with their loved ones. If you used to close the office for a certain period of time, be sure to still do this and let the team know. Communicate holiday expectations ahead of time in writing to ensure the whole team is aware, and can take advantage of this time to unplug.

Give employees a holiday gift

Nothing helps foster virtual team cheer like an unexpected gift. It’s been a challenging year for everyone. A surprise holiday gift will be much appreciated by your team. This doesn’t have to be anything lavish. With employees working from home at different addresses nationwide, physical gifts can be time consuming to coordinate. Consider a simple gift such as offering a weekly meal stipend for the month of December. Acts as small as these won’t be forgotten and can help cement employee loyalty.

Host a virtual holiday party

We can’t forget about the annual holiday party that most companies throw. While the in-person celebrations are likely cancelled, there are a lot of creative ways to ensure this party still takes place.

You can organize virtual activities like game nights or happy hours where employees pre-order food and drinks to be consumed during the party. The team can dial in from the comfort of their home to connect and to celebrate the festive season.

Collaborate on a holiday music playlist

Two elements that bring people together? Music and good food. To foster virtual team cheer consider creating a collaborative team music playlist. Each employee can add a song that means something to them. It can be a song from their childhood, a song that represents a cultural celebration, or a song that just resonates with them.

Thanks to the various streaming services, it’s easy to get started. The playlist can even be used in the background to set the tone and mood during a virtual holiday party. You can also create a game with the playlist – like guessing who sent in a particular song – as a part of your virtual holiday party.

Host an ugly sweater competition 

What are the holidays without an ugly sweater competition? These have continued to be a nostalgic staple in end-of-year festivities. Having a collective moment where everyone dresses in outlandish sweaters can truly lift spirits.

It’s simple to put together. Announce the competition ahead of time so everyone has a chance to dig through their closets to find a suitably ridiculous sweater. Then, create a voting system and allow people to share pictures of themselves (and their family members if they so wish) dressed in their ugly sweaters. Then, treat the winning employee (and their family) to a delicious dinner.

Make virtual events easier with a Grubhub Corporate Account

These are just a few ideas you can consider to foster virtual team cheer, but the possibilities are endless. Regardless of how you choose to celebrate, a Grubhub Corporate Account makes it easier for companies to extend a meal credit to their employees.

Companies across the nation are leveraging Grubhub as a simple, efficient, and cost-effective way to celebrate the holiday season. Nothing brings people together like good food and great company.

Learn more about how a Grubhub Corporate Account can take your virtual events to the next level.

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