We’ve had many teams come to us recently asking what they can do to give their employees a little respite this summer. Today, companies are struggling immensely with turnover attributed to “The Great Resignation” that’s affecting all industries. As a result, people are re-thinking what they want from work and life. That said, if your company isn’t getting creative with how to spark joy for your team daily, you’re losing out. So, how do you do that? You host fun virtual team-building events seasonally to bolster interpersonal connections and fun times! Here are a few ideas to start with this summer that can be quickly put together.
Celebrate Summer “Holidays” with Themed Virtual Events
Now, we’re not talking about the 4th of July or Canada Day. We’re talking about:
- Doing a virtual chair yoga class at lunch for Virtual Yoga Day on June 21st
- Hosting a beer tasting happy hour with brews from across the globe for International Beer Day on August 7th
- Participating in a virtual 5k with prizes for Global Running Day on June 2
The list goes on. Research what fun holidays your team may enjoy celebrating and do a fun event during work hours.
Start a Virtual Monthly Book Club with Fun Engagement Activities
A lot of people have found more time to read now that they’re working from home or in a hybrid environment. Use that to your advantage to start a little something fun for your team to share a relaxing hobby with coworkers with a monthly book club meeting. But don’t just sit on Zoom, please. Send boxes every month that are themed to match the book. For example, if you’re reading a book that takes place in Paris, send a charcuterie board to their door to enjoy during the meeting. Another fun idea is to see if you can get the authors to be involved as guest speakers to facilitate the club’s meeting each month.
Bring Your Summer Picnic Online
There’s something about a summer company picnic that, historically, teams have loved. You don’t have to lose that if your team is no longer meeting in person anymore! Or, if you’ve always been virtual, it’s a fun option to get people together in a new way that sparks connections! Here are a few ideas to make it epic:
- Plan fun virtual games
- Have a challenge for who can theme their background to the picnic theme the best
- Produce a Top Chef-style challenge to see who can make the most creative hot dog with what they have in their pantry or a mystery box you send prior
You get the picture. Ultimately, just have fun!
Learn a New Skill Together
Take some time to host art or food-themed workshops. We love these ideas:
- Mocktail or cocktail making for summery drinks
- Watercolor class to see who can paint the best beach scene
- Terrarium-making class with bright, colorful succulents that exude summery vibes
- Clay hand-building class to make a vase to display beautiful seasonal blooms
You could do a new class each month or have each department do a different themed skill-building event for a more intimate session.
Virtual Team-Building Escape Rooms
We’ll be honest, even though these are pretty popular, we love them. There are so many ways to get creative! For example, you can have one team break up into multiple groups and go through the same room to see who can escape the fastest or allow each team to experience a different room and use it more as a camaraderie-building tool. There are lots of fun island adventures, a camping mystery; the list goes on.
Host a Game Day
When trying to get creative with your team-building events, make sure they occur during work hours, so you’re not asking your team to log on after hours. For example, try a traditional game night but during the day! You can use Jackbox games or hire a production company to help create custom games designed with your team and branding in mind. They can even do fun options like a virtual cornhole tournament or bring back old-school games like Mario Kart to play virtually.
A Virtual Summer Vaca
Hire a team from a DMC or CVB to bring their destination alive on your employee’s screens for a little vacation from work. If it’s Hawaii, send leis to wear and Hawaiian shirts, along with Hawaiian-themed snacks and a cocktail kit. Then, have the DMC take them to the white sandy beaches of Lanikai Beach through video and interactive entertainment.
Need Help Brainstorming Fun Virtual Team-Building Events for Summer 2022? Let EBA Lead the Way.
With a fully remote global team at EBA, we understand the importance of getting the gang together to get to know one another in a fun and social way. That social aspect and engagement between coworkers makes troubleshooting work challenges a little more enjoyable. That’s why team-building events are such a great idea! Let’s get brainstorming to determine what sort of summer virtual team-building event would be ideal for your company.
