Working remotely comes with tons of benefits. You can cook lunch from your own kitchen, your commute time is just however long it takes you to get out of bed in the morning, and you can listen to music or videos as loud as you want with no headphones. But on top of all of these great perks, working remotely does come with some drawbacks. One of the most significant is the lack of company inclusivity. It is much harder to engage virtual employees in team activities and events, so employers and companies have to work more to make sure that each employee feels valued and included. In this article, we have compiled a list of computer-friendly activities so that employees can participate in the office fun from their own homes.
Company Jeopardy night
If you are looking for a good after work activity, you can not go wrong with company Jeopardy. You can choose any theme (although we recommend company facts – everyone can participate!) and play online or in a Zoom room. This is a great way to learn about your coworkers and their specialties, and kick back with the team.
Virtual Potluck
The best way to a coworker’s heart is with food. The age old saying rings true whether you are bringing donuts into the office for in person employees or hosting a virtual potluck. There are multiple ways to do this, but the key idea is to have everyone make something and share the recipe. In some iterations, this fun company night idea looks more like a secret Santa, where everyone gets to make a dish and deliver it to a specified person, but in a more varied geographical office, it might be easier to have every person assigned a recipe and give a review. You do not need to have an elaborate meal, anything easy will work. This fun bonding activity helps people get to know their peers – and their tastes – better.
Fitness Challenge
In any regular year, people in the office might go for walks together and compare progress, but it can be harder to hold each other accountable from a distance. One simple way to do this is by creating an online platform where everyone can be accountable and challenge each other to get the right amount of steps, sleep, or any other challenge forum. If your company uses the BetterYou app, our challenge feature allows you to easily sign up yourself and a friend to share step and sleep achievements. The competition is very motivating, and may be the last push you need to get out of the house and do a few laps around the block.
Online Coworking
This is a strategy during the workday. For employees missing the day to day interactions of the office, online coworking is a great option. Instead of being a fun after work game or ongoing challenge, online coworking involves an online chat room that people can hop in and out of freely. Unlike a meeting, it is open for anyone working who wants to chat or just work in silence. This option is not meant to be a distraction, but to give people struggling with motivation an option to chat. As a bonus, at the end of the workday or as a lunchtime treat, transform this room into a virtual wellbeing session forum.