1. I'm really hoping we won't have to consider this in future years, but a lot of planning time went into making sure that we minimized our COVID risk during the trip. 80+ School Spirit Week Ideas and Activities To Build Community What Readers Want During COVID-19: Content Ideas for Every Niche List of virtual spirit week ideas. To begin with, publicly recognizing great employees reflects well on your company for customers, investors, and your team. Many a time, showing some employee appreciation may seem hard. Company-branded swag can be simple everyday things like t-shirts, mugs, or even pen drives. Sometimes, the utmost appreciation that an employee seeks is a promotion in his job role. I also hired a local small business to make some custom iced cookies for us. If you are looking to reward your employees with a little something extra. The essence of spirit week is enthusiasm, not physical proximity. Wed all ooooh and ahhh, and laugh. It is a good idea to vary the class types and levels so that more team members can participate. Learn more about virtual costume contests. Not to fear: There are plenty of Halloween-inspired crafts to go around. 29. InDirect Report, she spotlights themes from her inbox that help explain the modern workplace and how we could be navigating it better. Recommended Case Study: Indias Largest Telecom Company Boosts their Global Employee Engagement with Vantage Rewards. Ensure that everyone gets that attention. Hosting this year has been no small featand the biggest party season of all is almost here. There were two main ways we did this: by requiring team members to be vaccinated, and picking a venue that would reduce people's overall exposure. The Very Worst Kind of Bad Boss Just Wont Go Away. Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best ones. Innovative Holiday and Winter Gatherings in the Time of COVID-19 3 Ways Tech Company Sysomos Transformed Employee Experience, 5 Tips to Implement Summer Work Schedules, 6 Design Ideas to Create an Inspiring Work Environment. The intensive schedule prevents routine responsibilities from interrupting the fun, and permits employees to focus on recharging and team bonding. They had a selection that included non-alcoholic mixes too (like a ginger lemonade). Everyone can be a film critic and talk about how much they love or hate what we're watching. - Jess Guffey, Brand Partnerships at Design Pickle, To stay connected with our colleagues and support local economies at the same time, our company decided to launch Support Santa, a Secret Santa-inspired gift swap. Simply ask, how are we doing living up to our agreements?. You can even turn your staff into the bartending experts: We had a party earlier this year where there was one big Zoom call, and then we broke out into a set of breakout rooms where colleagues had volunteered to teach others how to make their favorite cocktail. Simple ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in your workplace 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. Pandemic office holiday party ideas. - Slate Magazine 2022 Todos los derechos reservados. Taking care of your employees' health is the most prominent form of appreciation that you can show. Clarify expectations, for example, of performance, workflow or performance management. Pike13 Spirit Week highlights: One of the best ideas for spirit care packages is to pack supplementary materials for the weeks activities. Encourage team members to do the same. California-based Chowbotics, has seen an uptick in demand for its fresh food robot "Sally.". 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). Plus, you can capture a screenshot of the whole crew dressed up. 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. Here are answers to some of the most common questions about virtual spirit weeks. We, humans, are emotional creatures. You can supplement your on-the-clock remote spirit week activities with fun social media challenges. Tips for supporting yourself and your team - Mind Online escape rooms are online versions of thematic puzzle-solving games. Metal Pen and Antibacterial Hand Sanitizer. I hope this article has in some small way helped your and your teams trek through this extraordinary time. Team costumes Whether you're a team of two or twenty, you can dress up in team costumes for Halloween. Theyve asked us what charities wed recommend. Daily Dose of Kindness (sent daily) Weekly Kindness Idea (sent weekly) General Newsletter (for everyone) General Newsletter (for educators) This prevents you from working to the point of hunger and then scrambling to decide what to eat. How to create effective, engaged workplace teams after the Make sure you exchange emails with a volunteer coordinator or call before you . 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. This time has been invaluable to the team as they had been feeling scattered, stressed, and disconnected. 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. 1. 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. You might be worried about keeping yourself safe from coronavirus. 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. 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. Employees who want to learn about new tools, techniques, or topics but have less time on their hands will consider it a fabulous opportunity. If your crew would rather perform just for fun, then end the show by giving participants a well-deserved round of virtual applause. Each act should be around five minutes. To host a virtual talent show, invite teammates to sign up for slots. To truly show your employees that they are doing a great job, bring in some fun office traditions like "Taco Tuesday.". Online workouts serve the dual purpose of adding exercise and peer-to-peer interaction into remote workers sedentary, solitary workdays. Its expensive to recruit a new worker. You will see that a few words of appreciation can do wonders for the workplace. and retains your top employees. Hand Sanitizers. For our workers who have never worked from home, social isolation is deeply felt. PDF Getting your workplace ready for COVID-19 - World Health Organization At checkout the price was zero and you couldnt even enter a tip. Trivia can be a good way to help teams relax, inspire conversation and build relationships. Online retreats are company gatherings that take place online. Who doesnt love free food? Sometimes the best thing you can do for your team is to enable them to let off some steam without the pressure to perform. Be Intentional About Communications It's crucial that leaders don't get sucked into the. Just to say hi and check how they are doing. Get Chinese food somewhere. Top Pandemic-Friendly Business Ideas - U.S. Chamber A crisis like this can either break ateamdown and widen any cracks in its foundation, or it canresult in the emergence of true greatness. This helps your employees feel appreciated on an ongoing basis. Top 10 Ways to Grow School Spirit From Afar - PTA For instance, on sports day, staff can wear jerseys, square off in competitive games, and participate in an online pep rally. 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. December is the most obvious time to throw a virtual holiday party. Make it more special by hosting a "Make Your Own Taco" competition where the winner gets some form of employee reward. PopCap, the company behind legendary Facebook games like Bejeweled, offers some fantastic break rooms for its 400 odd employees. Illustration by Supriya Kalidas. Or you might feel concerned about the health of others, such as those who you care for or live with. 15 gifts to give essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic Thoughtful ways to build community and pride. From open enrollment to building a benefits package, we've got you covered. Working remotely creates a new set of challenges that arebeing amplified by the added stress of school closures andby the anxiety many are facing during this pandemic. And amid stay-at-home orders. Plus, we decided there will be a prize for the tallest sunflower, so it's turning into quite the competition. - Rose Jinks, Digital PR Specialist at Online Mortgage Advisor, As a way to boost morale and encourage teamwork while were apart, my company has been hosting virtual trivia nights every week. Think small bags of chips, cookies, and candy, displayed so employees can. Record and report COVID-19 infections and deaths: Under mandatory OSHA rules in 29 CFR part 1904, employers are required to record work-related cases of COVID-19 illness on OSHA's Form 300 logs if the following requirements are met: (1) the case is a confirmed case of COVID-19; (2) the case is work-related (as defined by 29 CFR 1904.5); and . Plentiful sunshine. Once the votes are in, book the top ranking classes. Support families to. Some leaders consistently interact with those they most easily connect with but may not as readily think of others. It means that they can catch up on the countless movies that they have missed. Your employees are amazing people with undisclosed talents. Walking not only counts as physical activity, but also provides some mental health benefits. 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. If you can get outside to walk, studies have shown that a brisk walk can make you feel . Its common knowledge that people love gift cards. So far, people have hosted presentations on their favorite hobby, sports team, family, the country they come from, favorite food, favorite lockdown activity, etc. If you developed team norms to stay on top of (as above), then ensure you check-in on them. Online board games or trivia challenges are a great way to bring a team together for something besides work. It becomes less of a break and more of a disappointment. Superhero Academy is a perfect fit for a hero or villain themed online spirit day. Get the latest news from Namely about HR, Payroll, and Benefits. Online Office Games is a friendly competition for remote teammates. 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. Keep Teamwork Alive Working From Home During Coronavirus | Wirecutter Working from home can be lonely and mundane. Having direct access to a mentor gives junior professionals valuable one-on-one training. Or it just might be a beautiful day to sleep in. Here are some suggestions: A team reset meeting will ensure team members take time to identify how to best work together in this new reality so that the team can maintain a sense of community, transition through this change effectively, and maintain (and even improve) team performance during this time while supporting the well-being of team members. 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.