As we near the end of 2021 (how?!), your company may be thinking about how to celebrate your team’s accomplishments in a safe, fun way that is conducive to all comfort levels of social gatherings. The last two years has brought many challenges – one big one being the lack of team social gatherings that can inspire moral – like holiday parties and activities.

If you need some ideas on how to engage your team for the holiday season – whether employees are remote, hybrid or in-person – look no further!

Start your company holiday celebration with an all staff meeting that offers remote and in-person attendance. For those that are remote, build in time up front so they don’t have to join and have facilitators there to engage in conversation and the pre-holiday buzz/chatter that typically precedes office celebrations.

Make the meeting engaging. Skip the numerous talking heads and instead center the time around nonwork-related activities, like trivia, games, or general socialization, like an ice cream social.

If you plan to serve a particular wine, food or beverage, send your remote employees the supplies in advance with instructions. This will allow everyone, whether on-screen or in-office, to share a common experience that serves as a conversation starter.

If you use Teams, Slack or other office communication tools, set-up group chats in advance with smaller groups to share their thoughts or experiences. Limiting the number of people in a chat can sometimes remove nerves of sharing or talking with a larger group. Use remote settings to your advantage to have members that wouldn’t normally interact engage, broadening their inter-office relationships.

Most importantly, ask for feedback! Everything is new and every company culture is different. Poll your employees ahead of and after the event to find out what they like and what they would change. Not only will this make everyone feel involved in the planning, but it will create another opportunity to engage with your team!

Happy Team Building!