6 Cool Ideas for Virtual, Hybrid Office Celebrations

Gone are the days of the crazy office Christmas party. Now are the days for hybrid office celebrations.

Everything about how we work has changed, so it’s only natural that end-of-year parties change – from the name and reasons we celebrate to how we connect and what we do.

Just about 50% of the remote-capable employees work a hybrid schedule – some days in the office, some days home – according to research from Gallup. And most organizations are set to host holiday parties again.

So for many organizations, that means hybrid office celebrations.

“The holiday season is traditionally a time of celebration and reflection,” says Barbara Matthews, Chief People Officer at global HR platform Remote.

“However, it’s also a time when the richness of our diverse workforces can inadvertently be overshadowed if inclusivity is not at the forefront of our end-of-year planning,” says Matthews. “It’s essential to remember that the holiday season can mean many different things to different people, and prioritizing inclusivity ensures we recognize and value diversity rather than endorsing a one-size-fits-all approach.”

To that, here are six ideas for your hybrid office celebrations.

1. Expand Hybrid Office Celebrations

If you haven’t already, take steps to make your celebration more inclusive. Instead of a Christmas party, change it to a holiday celebration, end-of-year party or employee appreciation event.

If you include all the holidays, put up decorations for each in the office, and send information to everyone explaining the origins and traditions of each holiday (Kwanza, Hanukkah, Bodhi Day, Solstice, Christmas, New Year’s). Or maybe you can just focus on employees and your gratitude for their efforts throughout the year.

Another idea from Matthews: Create team traditions. Invite employees to share background, favorite activities, traditions and maybe food from their traditional celebrations to help everyone learn more about different cultures.

2. Give Back

Regardless of where, when or how you celebrate together, make plans for employees to give back together. Of course, make the opportunities to volunteer or participate optional, as you don’t want to force any employees into doing something they aren’t interested in.

You might encourage and reward random acts of kindness within the workplace. Ask employees to share acts-of-kindness stories, then give small rewards. Some companies adopt families through local philanthropic organizations, and employees pool money or food and gifts to help others in need. Or maybe you can give employees time and pay to help their favorite charity. VolunteerMatch can help you identify local and national remote volunteering opportunities.

3. Give and Receive

Invite employees to join in a gift exchange – again, voluntarily – with colleagues.

You might do a mail gift exchange. Set a dollar limit and deadline to send gifts. Share a few suggestions on gift ideas. You can make the exchange public by hosting a virtual reveal event. Or you might have one organizer send names and addresses to everyone who wants to participate, setting them up for a gift exchange that adds a surprise element.

Or try a virtual White Elephant Party, which allows employees from around the corner or around the world to participate in the gift-swap game.

4. Throw a Wellness Party

The unintended and underlying theme of most holiday celebrations is over-indulgence. Try a wellness party as an alternative.

You might host virtual, hybrid or in-person yoga or meditation sessions. Send nutrient-rich food baskets to employees’ homes. Or give employees a budget to spend on something they feel is important to their overall well-being – for instance, gym memberships, gardening supplies, nutrition counseling, services to ease their demands such as cleaning, etc.

5. Host an Awards Show

Try a fully remote awards show or invite employees to come on-site. Keep this one light-hearted. Ask everyone to vote on the winners ahead of time. Some fun award ideas:

• Best Zoom Background
• Best family/pet/roommate interruption during a video call
• The Slack Master
• The Hybrid Champ
• The Never-Ending Emailer
• The Tech Wizard, and
• The Office Helper Award.

6. Get the Games On

Whether you plan to physically bring people together or host virtual events, add games to hybrid office celebrations.

“While gameplay can be fun, it has a real impact on how people treat each other in the office by keeping the focus on a shared goal,” says Matt Hendricks, principal at Hanabi Holdings.

He recommends in-person games, which are:

• Accessible. For most games, everyone is a novice and playing on the same level. Try: Werewords by Bezier Games.
• Simple. Most board games don’t have complicated rules or require awkward role-playing. Try: The Mind from Pandasaurus Games.
• Welcoming. You can create teams from different groups or work functions to build camaraderie. Try: Reverse Charades from USAopoly.

And if you’re sticking with a remote celebration, you might try holiday trivia in smaller group virtual get-togethers or company-wide events. You can find a host of trivia and other game ideas here.

More Resources for Year-Round

If you want more resources for virtual and hybrid celebrations for teams, no matter the time of year, here are some of our best:

51 Best Virtual Team-Building Activities to Try Now

14 Fun Fall Team-Building Activities Employees Will Love

13 Fabulous Team-Building Exercises for Large Groups

14 Team-Building Activities for Small Teams

12 Team-Building Activities Your Employees Will Love